DomeLight by Jim Zachary

The Southside is historic.

If our community is going to preserve our history, it must preserve all of our history.

History belongs to the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots.

History belongs to the powerful and the powerless.

History belongs to white people, Black people and to everyone else.

Some of the most significant parts of our history occurred on the Southside of Valdosta.

That history was, at times, vibrant and, at other times, included atrocities that some might prefer to ignore or forget.

Nevertheless, it is all history.

Historic preservation should be about preserving all of our past, not merely the past that people in power want to remember.

Any attempts to erase or sanitize the historical record does not erase the truth.

Few communities in the U.S. have done a better job of preserving the history of Black American communities than Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama.

Who would have ever thought that the state of Alabama would far exceed any other state, including Georgia, in providing historical context to the Civil Rights Movement?

Yet, when it comes to preserving the history of its Black communities and the struggles faced by Black Americans, no communities have done it in more poignant or visible ways than Montgomery and Birmingham.

Both cities are stronger because they have not shied away from telling the unvarnished truth of their past.

Historical preservation in those Alabama cities is diverse, inclusive and equitable, in spite of the atrocities which occurred there.

The history of Valdosta’s Southside is not all about the Civil Rights Movement, but it most certainly does include that chapter of our past.

In addition, homes, churches, entertainment venues and businesses located throughout the Southside have true historical significance that must not go unnoticed, unappreciated and unpreserved.

City and county leaders must recognize our shared histories and celebrate the historical contributions of the Southside and its residents.

It is time to revisit historical preservation and to make sure that the preservation of our history is — at the very least — just as diverse as our community.

Jim Zachary is the editor of The Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI’s director of newsroom training and development, deputy national editor and president emeritus of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.