Full Name
Hattie Thomas Whitehead
Company
Athens Clarke County Center For Racial Justice And Black Futures
Speaking At
Speaker Bio
Hattie became an activist at a young age. It began with her involvement in the desegregation of Athens Georgia, which led to her being jailed at age 14. Alongside her activism, she worked twenty-seven years in corporate America, and an additional fifteen years as a property manager at senior living facilities.
With her family’s aid, she founded the Athens StepUp Scholarship Program for Athens-Clarke County students. The program focuses on students who have overcome challenges to graduate high school and be accepted into a college or technical school. Since 2011, the program has award ninety-seven $500.00 to $1000.00 scholarships.
As a Linnentown first descendent, Hattie is President and Community Outreach Coordinator for the Linnentown Project. She assisted in writing the Linnentown Resolution for Recognition and Redress which the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission unanimously adopted in February 2021. This is the first official legislation calling for reparations in the state of Georgia. She also co-chairs the Athens-Clarke County Justice and Memory Project Committee which has been involved in making participatory recommendations to the mayor and commissioners on avenues of atonements outlined in the Linnentown Resolution.
She has written her first book “Giving Voice to Linnentown” which chronicles life in Linnentown and her role in seeking justice on behalf of the first descendant residents of Linnentown.
On December 6, 2022, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission unanimously approved the Justice & Memory Project's recommendations to allocate $2.5 million for local affordable housing projects and the construction of the Athens-Clarke County Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures. This History Center, located on the Classic Center campus, is scheduled to open in 2026. This marks the first time in Georgia that a government agency has formally approved monetary redress to address a racial injustice.
She recently ventured into playwriting with Linnentown, which premiered with a matinee and two evening shows. The production sold 3,500 tickets as part of a fundraiser for the History Center. The Justice & Memory Project's most recent efforts include renaming South Finley Street to Linnentown Lane, located off Baxter Street, where the once-thriving community was erased.
She is the proud mother of four and grandmother of seven and lives here in Athens.
With her family’s aid, she founded the Athens StepUp Scholarship Program for Athens-Clarke County students. The program focuses on students who have overcome challenges to graduate high school and be accepted into a college or technical school. Since 2011, the program has award ninety-seven $500.00 to $1000.00 scholarships.
As a Linnentown first descendent, Hattie is President and Community Outreach Coordinator for the Linnentown Project. She assisted in writing the Linnentown Resolution for Recognition and Redress which the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission unanimously adopted in February 2021. This is the first official legislation calling for reparations in the state of Georgia. She also co-chairs the Athens-Clarke County Justice and Memory Project Committee which has been involved in making participatory recommendations to the mayor and commissioners on avenues of atonements outlined in the Linnentown Resolution.
She has written her first book “Giving Voice to Linnentown” which chronicles life in Linnentown and her role in seeking justice on behalf of the first descendant residents of Linnentown.
On December 6, 2022, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission unanimously approved the Justice & Memory Project's recommendations to allocate $2.5 million for local affordable housing projects and the construction of the Athens-Clarke County Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures. This History Center, located on the Classic Center campus, is scheduled to open in 2026. This marks the first time in Georgia that a government agency has formally approved monetary redress to address a racial injustice.
She recently ventured into playwriting with Linnentown, which premiered with a matinee and two evening shows. The production sold 3,500 tickets as part of a fundraiser for the History Center. The Justice & Memory Project's most recent efforts include renaming South Finley Street to Linnentown Lane, located off Baxter Street, where the once-thriving community was erased.
She is the proud mother of four and grandmother of seven and lives here in Athens.
