Georgia Today: Historic markers in Savannah and Statesboro; New tallest hotel in Georgia

Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB news. Today is Friday, Jan. 12. I'm Orlando Montoya. On today's episode, a new historic marker in Savannah honoring enslaved nurse and civil rights pioneer Susie King Taylor. Another historic marker in Statesboro commemorates the site of a lynching. And an international hotel brand, Hilton, is opening Georgia's tallest hotel in 40 years. Those stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Orlando Montoya: A federal judge is allowing part of Georgia's 2021 election law overhaul to stand as a lawsuit against it moves forward. Civil rights groups and others argue the provision, shortening election runoffs from nine weeks to four weeks, illegally limits access to voting under civil rights legislation. But in a ruling today, Atlanta-based U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee said the plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed in their arguments and declined to block the provision temporarily. The judge previously granted motions to block other parts of the law.

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: State lawmakers responsible for making decisions on health care policy seem to agree that Medicaid, and whether or not Georgia will choose to expand it, will be a major issue in this legislative session. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more on what's been said so far.

Sofi Gratas: Since neighboring red state North Carolina voted to cover hundreds of thousands more through Medicaid expansion, policymakers and stakeholders in Georgia are asking: What will happen here? That's unclear, but up for debate. During a recent event, Republican Rep. Sharon Cooper pointed to a proposal to repeal hospital certificate of need laws in exchange for expanding Medicaid. She said that's unlikely.

Sharon Cooper: Legistlators don't like to be told — and the governor especially — that, you know, "we'll do this if you do this."

Sofi Gratas: Republican Sen. Ben Watson said he'd rather work out kinks and up enrollment in the Pathways to Coverage program, as well as consider more ways to offset costs for marketplace plans for people in the coverage gap. For GPB news, I'm Sofi Gratas in Atlanta.

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: International hotel brand Hilton has opened Georgia's tallest hotel in 40 years. Hotel officials yesterday celebrated the opening of the 42-story Sygnia by Hilton in downtown, near the Georgia World Congress Center and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The 976-room hotel is owned by the state-run Georgia World Congress Center Authority, and is targeted to visitors coming to the city for conventions, concerts and sporting events. It comes two years ahead of games expected in Atlanta for the FIFA World Cup.

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: Atlanta-based home builder Smith Douglas made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday. It was the stock market's first initial public offering, or IPO, of the new year. The stock closed slightly higher than its $23.50 cent opening. Smith Douglas is one of the nation's fastest-growing private homebuilders, primarily targeting entry-level homebuyers in the Southeast.

Story 5:

Orlando Montoya: Savannah City Council members have approved the wording on a historical marker to be placed in the downtown public square, whose name they recently changed. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports the square now honors a formerly enslaved nurse instead of a slave owner.

Benjamin Payne: Last August, Savannah City Council voted to make Susie King Taylor, the first woman and first African American to serve as the namesake of one of Savannah's 22 historic town squares. Soon, Taylor Square will bear a granite marker honoring the woman who served as a union nurse during the Civil War and who was the first Black teacher to openly educate African Americans in Georgia. The marker will also explicitly state that the square's former namesake, Vice President John C. Calhoun, was a, quote, "staunch defender of slavery." Savannah Mayor Van Johnson spoke at Thursday's meeting of CityCcouncil.

Van Johnson: Because we are caretakers of history, we should not be trying to erase it. We wanted to make sure that the history of this square was adequately codified within the square.

Benjamin Payne: A ceremony for Taylor Square is expected to be held next month. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.

Story 6:

Orlando Montoya: And just up the road from Savannah, Statesboro yesterday unveiled a historical marker to commemorate the nine Black men who were lynched in Bullitt County between 1886 and 1911. The event was spearheaded by the city and the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative. It comes six years after Statesboro elected its first Black mayor. Jonathan McCollar is that mayor, and he says the marker is as much about the future as it is the past.

Jonathan McCollar: That was a step that was a part of a greater process. Uh, when I first came into office in January of 2018, we, uh, made a commitment to be a community that was inclusive. Uh, and we recognize that we can't build a inclusive future if we don't work to heal, uh, some of the ills of the past. Uh, so we had, uh, one of our fellow citizens, uh, Laura Milner. Uh, she had the opportunity to go out and visit, uh, the museum out in Montgomery, and she came back fired up. Um, and so she — she began to build a coalition of individuals, uh, and they ended up calling that coalition the Remembrance Coalition. And my wife, Avery McCollar, is one of the co-chairs of that coalition. Um, and in that process, we began to work with the Equal Justice Institute, um, that's headed by, uh, attorney Bryan Stevenson. Uh, to, to to to get the process to get that marker going. But what we found was that it was a part of a greater story that was attached to, uh, injustices and social inequalities within, uh, within our country. And we wanted to do our part to let the world know that the city of Statesboro is committed to recognizing that none of us are responsible for our history, but we're all responsible — responsible for building a future that is inclusive for every American.

Orlando Montoya: And why is it important to have, you know, a — something so public as this? It's commemorating something that is a terrible event. How does it do good?

Jonathan McCollar: It does good because it says that we are a city of courage. Um, and it also says that we are a community that has not always been perfect, but we are willing to recognize that in our — in our imperfections, we can build from those and build a community that is inclusive and which refuses, uh, to go back to a time and space where those atrocities could ever happen again. And this is what I fundamentally believe: I fundamentally believe that Americans can do just as good of a job as the Germans if they work to recognize that what occurred under the Nazi regime and our Jewish brothers and sisters, uh, and their work to reconciliate their nation, we can do the same here, um, and make sure that we put into public spaces, um, the stories of those atrocities and use those as catalysts to build a future that will never repeat those atrocities again.

Orlando Montoya: In your family, how did these events come down?

Jonathan McCollar: Well, well, we grew up with the fear. Um, my family has been in this community for since 1820. Uh, one of my four times great-grandfather, Alexander Mincey, uh, can be found on the census in Bulloch County. And so we've been here, you know, well over, you know, a little over 200 years. And growing up, there was a fear within the Black community of what could happen to them, um, if they didn't conduct themselves in a certain way within this community. So the atrocities that occurred, uh, during this time period lasted for decades after the happenings of those atrocities. And so me growing up and being, you know, next month I'll be 50 years old. Uh, so me growing up as a child and listening to the stories of my great-grandmother, uh, and her siblings of what it was like to grow up in Bulloch County, which was a sundown community, uh, for African Americans. Um, that — that was a — that was very telling. And one thing that we have to understand is that, um, uh, at nearly 50 years old, I am a part of the first generation of Americans to be born with all of their rights. So much of the discrimination that has occurred in this country is not that far gone. Um, and so we're still looking at the United States only having Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, and now Gen Alpha to be the only generations to ever be born in this country with all of their rights. So many of the things that have occurred, the injustices and the things that we see that are part of the social justice, social justice movements of today, uh, are still very real for — for us. And this history that we talk about is really not that far removed from it.

Orlando Montoya: Jonathan McCollar is the mayor of Statesboro. I spoke with him after the city unveiled a historical marker recognizing nine men who were lynched in Bulloch County.

Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: The Atlanta Braves have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos. In what could be the club's biggest offseason signing, the Braves said today the 46-year-old executive will stay through the 2031 season. Anthopoulos has been with the Braves since 2017, when he joined as general manager and executive vice president. Since then, the team has won six National League East Division championships and, of course, the World Series in 2021.

Story 8:

Orlando Montoya: And tomorrow is the first day of a three-day weekend for many Americans. It was 40 years ago in April that Georgia Gov. Joe Frank Harris signed into law a state holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Federal recognition of the MLK holiday became official two years later in 1986. With the holiday on Monday approaching, events celebrating the life and work of the civil rights leader will take place throughout Georgia over these three days. GPB has compiled a really good list with links to all the details about activities and commemorations across the state. You can find that at GPB.org/news.

Orlando Montoya: And whether or not you have a two-day weekend or a three-day weekend, I hope it's a good one for you. And I hope you stay warm after this rain moves through. We're expecting a big chill to come through wherever you are in Georgia. I know I myself have moved some outdoor plans to indoor plans this weekend. Stay safe, stay warm. And that's it for this edition of Georgia Today. If you'd like to learn more about these stories, visit gpb.org/news. Hit subscribe on the podcast so you stay current with us in your feed. Send us feedback to GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Orlando Montoya. It's been a pleasure sitting in for Peter Biello this week. Have a good weekend.

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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news