Columnist Bernie Hayes
American culture is exceptional and distinctive because it is the construction of a diverse population. The Civil Rights Movement had many setbacks in its long search for freedom and social justice. And there are many great stories of African American triumphs that are emphasized around Dr. King’s birthday and during February, African-American History Month.
Yet there is one battle of the turbulent ‘50s that is often overlooked or simply ignored. It is an item that reveals the magnitude of how love can overcome hate. It is a story of how black and white activists struggled against segregation and formed a society that today is one of the most recognized and respected in the world. It is the story of Koinonia Farm, which started in 1942 in Americus, Georgia, located in Sumter County, former President Jimmy Carter’s home.
Most Americans aren’t aware that blacks in Sumter County had to pay a “walking around tax” and were not allowed to wear white shirts in downtown Americus, as was the custom in many Southern towns.
Koinonia Farm is significant for its stand against racial segregation more than a decade prior to the Civil Rights Movement. Koinonia, an interracial Christian community, and its founder Clarence Jordan became the target of the local white community’s hatred and violence because of beliefs in racial equality. Koinonia would endure years of bombings, shootings and economic boycotts, including attacks by the Ku Klux Klan.
The Civil Rights Era in Americus was a time of great turmoil; violent opposition to Koinonia by racist elements led to the bombing of a store uptown in 1957. Most of Koinonia’s neighbors were black sharecroppers and tenant farmers.
Clarence Jordan, who was white, held an undergraduate degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia, wanted to use his knowledge of scientific farming “to seek to conserve the soil, God’s holy earth” and to help the poor. These efforts were a break with the prevailing culture of the time and were fiercely challenged by many citizens of Sumter County, many of whom attempted to destroy the farm and scare off its residents
Through the 1950s and early 60s, Koinonia remained a witness to nonviolence and racial equality as its members withstood firebombs, bullets, KKK rallies, death threats, property damage, excommunication from churches and economic boycotts. Koinonia and its members suffered greatly. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent a weekend in the courthouse jail in 1961, after an arrest in Albany. But Koinonia survived to become the birthplace of the worldwide movement of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat began as the idea of two white men: the late Clarence Jordan and Millard Fuller
Clarence Jordan was a mentor to Millard and Linda Fuller, both white, who founded Habitat for Humanity International at Koinonia in 1976. The Jordans and the Fullers held a deep concern for their neighbors and noticed the poor quality of housing available to them. They initiated a project to help build decent, affordable homes. Changing its name from Koinonia Farm to Koinonia Partners, the community launched several innovative partnership programs, chief among them Koinonia Partnership Housing, which built affordable homes for low-income families living in shacks and dilapidated houses.
For more than 60 years, Koinonia has been involved in civil rights, prison ministry, racial reconciliation, peace activism, early childhood education, youth and teen outreach, affordable housing, language training, sustainable agriculture, economic development, home repair, elders programs, and more. So the next time you see a story or witness a project relating to Habitat for Humanity, remember the struggle of the many brave men and women, both black and white, who sacrificed much but whose deeds remain practically unknown
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or by e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
