Episode Transcript

8Song begins… you may want to pick it up later thanthis…THIS CEREMONY IS BEING HELD TOCONSECRATE A SLAVE CEMETARY.AS THEY BEGIN WALKING TO THE BURIALSITE, ANCESTORS OF SLAVES JOIN THOSEREPRESENTING BLACKS WHO FOUGHTWITH THE UNION. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTSWALK WITH THOSE OLD ENOUGH TOREMEMBER SEGREGATION.(MUSIC BREAK HERE)THE GROUP MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THEWOODS AND UP A HILL, AND PEOPLE BEGINLOOKING FOR NAMES THEY MIGHTRECOGNIZE.“…we give thanks and praises to the Supremeenergy of the Universe that gives us what we need tosurvive and to move forward as a people…” (hepours water) “Ashay, ashay.”“…they believe that not only is our cemetery 300years old, they believe it’s ten thousand years oldbecause we took over from the Creek Indians.”IT IS A SOLEMN OCCASION, FLOWERSPLACED PURPOSELY ON EACH SITE. SOMEOF THE ARE GRAVES MARKED ONLY WITHA FLAG PUT THERE BY GEORGIA STATERESEARCHERS.JOHNNY WAITS HAS AN ENTIRE FAMILYHERE.“This is what the slaves got. This is it. They got arock.“I saw a tombstone down there. It was so© 2012 GPB Media http://www.gpb.org Georgia Outdoors

intriguing. It looked just like a block of granite andit looked like somebody carved out the name John.”“Yeah, isn’t that wonderful, isn’t that great? It’sover there. You talkin’ about my grandfather.”“No, there’s one down here too.”“Oh, okay, well, my grandfather’s the same way.“Look like they took a piece of rock out of thequarry and somebody took the time to put J.W.Waits on it.”“Well show me. I didn’t see it.”“Okay, it’s right over here.”“I didn’t see that one.”“Yep. That’s my great grandfather and alsoWarren Moon’s great grandfather.”“See?”“Oh my goodness, yeah.”“John Waits. W-a-i-t-s.”“You’re right. Somebody just carved it out.”“Yeah, isn’t that beautiful?”“It is. It is indeed.”“And these are his brothers. That’s Cofert Waits,and that’s Andrew Waits brother and his mother’sright here, Angus Waits. I mean Eliza Waits righthere. And we know this because my grand father’sall those was born in the 1900s early 18090s. Andall of my great uncles, they come to this cemeteryand they said, that’s my grandmother’s grave.That’s my uncle’s grave. And that’s how we knowsome of the stones. Ones that don’t have headstones– that’s how we know some of the graves.”“One thing that we really do value out here, ofcourse, I think you’ve see it, is very disparate groupof people from all different walks of life that arepart of the alliance and part of this effort. We liketo think of ourselves as multi-racial, multi-cultural,everybody’s part of the story here.“…the path connects the resources, but really theArabia Alliance is connecting the people and you’re9© 2012 GPB Media http://www.gpb.org Georgia Outdoors

exactly right, people who would not have generallyencountered each other in their day to day lives arein some ways building a new type of community.It’s not, um, they all live here, most of them workhere, and they are looking for ways to protect it, butthen also to share it and educate other people aboutthe resources that are here.”FOR EXAMPLE, JOHNNY WAITS, A MANSEARCHING FOR SLAVE BURIAL SITES,WOULD NOT ORDINARILY BE HANGING OUTWITH THE ABBOT OF A MONASTERY. BUTFATHER FRANCIS MICHAEL IS ALSO PARTOF THE HERITAGE COMMUNITY ANDBROUGHT WAITS HERE TO SEE A SLAVECEMETARY FOUND ON MONASTERYPROPERTY.“Wow, you have so many of ‘em. Yeah, see itextends up into this corner here.”“Wow, well, it’s a big cemetery for twenty graves.That’s a lot of people even though we see one childgrave, but that’s a lot of people.”“And again, the other good piece is that it’s on aneasement so it’s on a perpetual easement – it cannever be developed.”“…do you plan to put a marker or anything outhere in the future?”I’m open to suggestions, in other words, I don’tknow what to do because it’s inside the cloister, soit’s not some place where we want to bring people.”AND FROM THERE, THE DISCUSSIONTURNED TO DIFFERENT CHURCHES, WHEREINDIANS MIGHT HAVE LIVED, HOW BURIALSHAVE CHANGED, IN SHORT, ACONVERSATION THAT MAY LEAD TO ABETTER UNDERSTANDING OF TWOCULTURES.© 2012 GPB Media http://www.gpb.org Georgia Outdoors10

knowing all, and praying and, it’s good to know…Sharon, it’s almost the opposite of that. You see it’salmost the opposite of that. Monks are not thestrong ones who know everything and we’re like allpowerful. Monks are the weak ones you see, whoanybody can come to and know that they’re notgoing to be judged because the monks knowthemselves to be broke, okay? And so it’s almostjust the opposite.MONKS HAVE A JOB. THEIR WHOLEPURPOSE IS TO FOCUS ON GOD AND PRAYFOR THE REST OF US. BUT IN SOME WAYS,THEY’RE JUST LIKE ANYBODY ELSE.“if we’re going to bring more people then we haveto establish our….Monks have cell phonesI put it on vibrate…THE MONASTERY ITSELF IS BEAUTIFUL,BUT ITS GROUNDS REPRESENT THELARGEST GREENSPACE IN THE HERITAGEAREA.THOUSANDS OF ACRES ARE PROTECTED,AND MUCH OF IT OPEN TO VISITORS WHOSIMPLY NEED PEACE, QUIET AND A PLACETO SORT THINGS OUT.THE MONKS ARE A BIT NERVOUS ABOUTHAVING A PATH THROUGH THEIRPROPERTY, BUT THE ARABIA HERITAGEAREA HAS CONVINCED ALL OF THESECOMMUNITIES TO TAKE A HARD LOOK ATEACH OTHER AND THROW IN THEIR LOTTOGETHER.“I have a feeling there are a lot of people who livewithin the Heritage area who don’t know the richhistory and the depth of nature that they have righthere.”© 2012 GPB Media http://www.gpb.org Georgia Outdoors12

“I’m 20 minutes away and I had no idea that thisbeautiful park, was, I mean I knew it wassomewhere around here, but you’re right, peopledon’t know.”So finding ways to reach people in a very clutteredworld where you’re constantly hit with media ofbuy this, do this, how do you reach somebody andsay, come take a walk, relax…”WE TOOK THE CHALLENGE TO GETOUTSIDE, GET OUT OF OUR COMFORTZONE, AND DECIDED TO SPEND THE NIGHTIN A TREE.13“Our tree, which is Naomi Ruth, is a Southern RedOak behind us, and it’s named after my wife. Iactually proposed to her in this tree.”JODI RICE HEADS THIS PROGRAM INPANOLA PARK. IT’S CALLED ZZZ’s IN THETREES. BUT BEFORE YOU CAN SPEND THENIGHT, YOU LEARN TO CLIMB THE ROPES.“Our first rule is do not step on the rope, the rope isyour life, OK?”“This is called double rope technique. It’ll supportyou.“Respect the rope.”YOU LITERALLY INCH YOUR WAY UP THETREE. MY TREE MATES TONIGHT ARE GIRLSCOUTS AND A YOUNG MAN, ALL OF THEMBETTER CLIMBERS THAN ME.BUT THE CLIMB OF THE NIGHT TAKESPLACE IN THE DARK. AFTER DINNER, WEALL HEAD BACK UP TO OUR PODS – LIKECANVAS HAMMOCKS ONLY SQUARE.© 2012 GPB Media http://www.gpb.org Georgia Outdoors

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