In this Juneteenth/Father’s Day episode, we deliver a local history lesson that encompasses the struggles and triumphs of a local successful black father who was once a slave, as well as racial divide sparked by media, and voter suppression.

CORRECTION DISCLAIMER ABOUT THE DETAILS OF THE GRANDFATHER CLAUSE:

In 1907, Georgia Governor Hoke Smith, who had campaigned promising to disenfranchise black voters, signed an act that would amend Georgia's constitution and impose a LITERACY TEST as a requirement for voting.

The Georgia Constitution required voters to be male, at least 21, and a resident of Georgia for one year, but did not explicitly disqualify black voters. Because Smith’s Amendment would disenfranchise many whites also, it contained exemptions designed to allow whites to vote, even if they failed a literacy test.

Among those exemptions: any Union or Confederate veteran or their descendants could vote. Because many white Georgians had grandfathers in the confederate army, this provision became known as the “Grandfather Clause.” Voters approved the amendment in 1908 and Georgia took another long step down the dark road of Jim Crow. It took the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to overturn the blatant act of discrimination proposed on August 21, 1907.

#ATLSalute Goes To: Dr. Alex McCready

What's On TAP?: 

Barrel-Aged City In The Trees - Long Boil Dopplebock Aged in Whiskey Barrels - Orpheus Brewing 11%ABV

Gin & Juice- ASW Winterville Gin, Berry Cobbler Syrup, Lime Juice, Orange Oil, Ginger Beer