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The Source: 'Blood At The Root' Explores Dark History Of Racial Violence

 
Forsyth, Georgia is what you would call a "Sundown Town."

It's a place where people of color were not welcome - and if you were there there after the sun went down you would be terrorized or worse.

In 1912 the whites of the community went on a rampage. With Night Riders they drove the Black families out of the area and told them not to come back.

They declared for Forsyth whites only.

This is how it stayed for generations.

In 1987 the segregation and exclusion of Forsyth was challenged with a march. 
And the white community responded. It got ugly. It got violent.

 A new book explores that troubling era and the racial cleansing that went on.

Guests:

  • Patrick Phillips, professor at Drew Univesrity, and author of the book "Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America
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Paul Flahive can be reached at Paul@tpr.org