Civil Liberties at Dorchester Cooperative Center 1940 - present

Civil Liberties at Dorchester Cooperative Center 1940 - present (HM5OT)

Location: Midway, GA 31320 Liberty County
Buy Georgia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 31° 48.06', W 81° 27.936'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 383 views
Inscription

Dorchester Academy

— Museum Of African American History —

In an effort to involve Liberty County African Americans in politics, the Dorchester Cooperative Center (DCC) began to help organizeAfrican American Voters. The DCC taught local African Americans the United States and Georgia constitutions, followed the activities of state and national representatives, charted how legislators voted on issues, interviewed candidates for office, and discussed issues and community goals. They also instructed citizens on how to mark ballotsand general behavior at the polls. In 1953, the DCC formed a branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1961, they gained national attention when the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), in cooperation with theAmerican Missionary Association (AMA), established " Leadership Training Programs and Citizenship Schools" at Dorchester Academy to train grass roots leaders from throughout the South. These leaders would go back to their communities to organize and train others. Some of the influential SCLC leaders who frequented the DCC were SCLC Educational Director Dorothy Cotton, supervisor of teacher training Septima Clark, and Citizenship Program Administrator Andrew Young.Notable civil rights leaders who attended DCC programs included Ralph Abernathy, Wyatt Walker, and Dr.Kartin Luther King Jr. King's biographer David L. Lewis contends that King planned his 1963 Birmingham campaign while staying at Dorchester Academy in Elizabeth B. Moore Hall. Although DCC membership has steadily declined, the organization now known as the Dorchester Improvement Association (DIA), still exists and continues to educate and support AfricanAmericans in Liberty County.

The Power of Cooperation
The people of the Dorchester Cooperative Center understood that in order to make even the smallest difference everyone had to do their part. When the Farmers Co-op at the Center wanted to buy a tractor, twenty families pooled their resources and purchased their own cooperatively owned tractor. Thedebt on the tractor was completely repaid within the next three years.

Picture caption reads:
"Dorchester Co-op farmer with new tractor"
Details
HM NumberHM5OT
Tags
Placed ByCity of Flemington
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, October 9th, 2014 at 1:55pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17R E 455926 N 3518472
Decimal Degrees31.80100000, -81.46560000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 31° 48.06', W 81° 27.936'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds31° 48' 3.60" N, 81° 27' 56.16" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)912
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 8701-8899 Hwy 84, Midway GA 31320, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?