Beacon Hill in Decatur, Georgia, was once a thriving Black community known as “the Bottom” due to its low-lying land. It was home to families, Black-owned businesses, churches, and a strong sense of community. Wanda Sims Watters, who grew up there with her seven siblings, recalls lively grocery stores, cafes, cabs, funeral homes, and six churches serving the neighborhood. However, as the area became more desirable for development, Black residents faced redlining, intimidation, and threats of violence, including Ku Klux Klan rallies, which created a climate of fear and displacement.
Starting in the early 20th century and intensifying through the 1960s, Decatur embarked on several urban renewal projects that led to the demolition of much of Beacon Hill, displacing hundreds of Black families. Public housing projects replaced many homes, and Black residents were pushed into segregated, underserved areas marked by poverty and systemic neglect. Decades of gentrification further displaced Black communities, with property demolitions and soaring taxes driving residents out. Today, only a few historic institutions like the Lilly Hill Baptist Church remain as reminders of Beacon Hill’s rich past.
In response, Decatur’s newly formed reparations task force, including residents like Watters, is dedicated to confronting and fully acknowledging this erased history. The task force is examining the impacts of displacement, economic harms, and systemic racism, aiming to offer meaningful reparations and healing to affected families. By digging deeper and challenging sanitized narratives, the task force hopes to restore justice and preserve the legacy of a once-vibrant community forced into disappearance over decades.
Decatur’s move represents a growing trend of municipalities taking concrete steps to address historical racial wrongs at the local level. As conversations around reparations gain momentum nationwide, the Decatur task force could serve as a model for other communities committed to healing and reparative justice. LINK
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