The Purpose of the Steering Committee

The purpose of the Steering Committee is multifaceted. Our general purpose is to coordinate the fifty-year observance of the Augusta Riot in order to inform the community, broadly defined, as to what actually occurred leading up to and during the civil disturbance of May 11, 1970.

The goal of the observance is to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth by showing what happened, who did it, how they did it, and, where possible, why they did it. The truth must be told without fear or favor, irrespective of whom it affects.

A surprising number of people in the Augusta area do not know that a riot ever took place here. Even more people do not know that six people were killed during the riot. Many more do not know that all of those who were killed were black, nor that they were all shot in the back by police using double-aught buck shot. Very few people know that every policeman who killed a black man during the riot was promoted, and that one of them was made Officer of the Year 1970.

We seek to rectify a narrative that largely mischaracterizes what happened. Through the use of panels, drama, art and media, we will reveal the best available truths. We seek to correct, where possible, the false information and distortions that have evolved by presenting original data and corroborating sources not commonly seen.

The Steering Committee will provide information that scholars can use for decades to come to examine the South’s largest riot in modern times. This observance will not only serve as a source of information for those who at the time were too young to know what happened and for those who joined our community since then. It will provide a record for current and future scholars.

We hope that the truths brought out will lead to healing, reconciliation and community unity, including the families and friends of those who died and the people who killed them. The evidence shows that those who died were more likely to have been victims than looters, as is commonly believed. Our event should say to their loved ones that the community recognizes that their lives were needlessly taken and that we value their sacrifice, as well as the pain and sorrow that they have endured, alone, for half a century, without sympathy or understanding.

While we seek reconciliation, we do not seek a negative peace, which Martin Luther King, Jr. defined as “merely the absence of tension.”

Rather we seek a positive peace. “True peace,” which Dr. King said is not merely the absence of tension, “it is the presence of justice and brotherhood.”

Written by Dr. Mallory K. Millender