Dream Weavers
Who are the Dream Weavers? They are the people who make up the fabric of our black community. They are the threads of a rich tapestry - providing strength and support. They bind others together and contribute to the whole, while adding their own touch of brilliance. The people profiled in this section work to make life better for others. They are role models, mentors, caregivers and coaches. They are the unheralded heroes of our community.

Foster grandparent helps students with reading and writing
Web-posted 2/28/2004
As one of eight foster grandparents working with teachers at Collins Elementary School, 74-year-old Eulia Stallings makes a difference.

Social club contributes to civic causes
Web-posted 2/28/2004
When a banner bearing The Bunch's name passes bystanders in the annual Martin Luther King Day parade along Laney-Walker Boulevard, puzzled looks are not out of the norm.

Former educator leads community partnership program
Web-posted 2/28/2004
It's 10 a.m. and Robetta McKenzie is already preparing for her second meeting. The day's agenda consists of a civic event across town in 20 minutes, an appointment at Fort Gordon after lunch, a meeting downtown immediately following, then another in the evening.

Neighborhood store owner provides model of success
Web-posted 2/28/2004
When James W. Riles returned to Augusta from Vietnam in the summer of 1970, he realized how much he loved his hometown.

Founder of community center feeds bodies and minds
Web-posted 2/28/2004
Twenty-six years ago Ruth Crawford started a social service agency on what she called "a wing and a prayer."

Paine College coach teaches players life skills
Web-posted 2/28/2004
Sometimes coaching is more than what happens on the basketball court. Selina Kohn prefers her athletes to succeed in the arena of life.

Parents lobby for son and other children with disabilities
Web-posted 2/28/2004
The playoff game was about to begin against an Atlanta area basketball club one recent Saturday, and 11-year-old Stanley Hawes Jr. wasn't sure what to expect in the way of an outcome.

Activist works to improve community's quality of life
Web-posted 2/28/2004
Mary Johnson has been down this path before. The lifelong Columbia County resident helped lead a push in the late 1990s to clean up her King Villa neighborhood off Washington Road, soliciting help from county officials and sheriff's deputies to remove litter, erect street lights and increase police patrols.

Volunteer helps seniors maintain independence
Web-posted 2/28/2004
Irene Mazone is a volunteer with a difference. She may start out solo, but she doesn't stay that way. Like a magnet, she has a knack for pulling in other workers and turning them into a team.

Related Stories:
  • Documents shed light on cook's life

From Columbia County
In honor of Black History Month, The News-Times presents a Sunday series with profiles of notable African-American residents.

  • Keith Walton: Coach imparts physical and spiritual strength
  • Margaret Tutt Adams: Court officer devotes her career to helping children
  • Debbie Marshall: County official elects to succeed
  • Zack Daffin: Development authority head followed varied career path
  • Mary Elizabeth Sanders: Woman's life devoted to education

Related Stories:
  • County honors veteran educator
  • Church traces blacks' struggle from slavery

Augusta's African-American History 

Augusta's black heritage
From colonial times, when free blacks organized Springfield Baptist Church, to the burgeoning black commercial district early in this century, black men and women made an impact on Augusta. And black Augustans influenced the history of this nation. Some local sites reflect this rich history.

Local African-Americans broke many barriers
Augusta and Augustans were breaking the color barrier long before Jackie Robinson became the first African-American in professional baseball.

Walker was born a slave
Augusta's C.T. Walker boldly denounced the second-class status of America's blacks decades before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X were born.

Ricks led unit with diversity
Web-posted 10/21/2001
In 1942, Percy Ricks wanted to join the Army. He found out the Army didn't want him.

For black soldiers in World War II, the biggest fight was for equality and recognition
Web-posted 09/02/2001
That it took more than a half-century demonstrates the second-class treatment black soldiers endured, black veterans say. For them, the war was fought on more fronts than just the European and Pacific theaters. They also had to battle the prevailing attitudes of the time in the military - and in the country - that kept them segregated from their white counterparts and that relegated most blacks to service units, where they performed tasks such as unloading ships and providing supplies.