Interview with Alvin Sheats, February 15, 2023

Partial Transcript: OK, today is February the 15th 2023. My name is William Breeding, and I am here with Mr. Alvin Sheats.

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Sheats describes his early life from his birth in North Carolina to his family's relocation to Athens. He discusses his academic difficulties in Atlanta, fights with local glue-sniffers, and his father's desire to remove him and his brother from that environment. Sheats recalls the move to Athens, and his mother's reluctance to move to "another country town".

Keywords: Atlanta public schools; Atlanta, GA; Bankhead; Education; Elementary school; Fights; Waynesville, NC; Athens, GA

Partial Transcript: So, anyway, we started school here in Athens-Clarke County School System.

Segment Synopsis: Sheats shares his experiences of his first three years of high school, and his time in the ROTC and the leadership role he occupied in that organization. He also describes a conflict with a fellow student, his father's response, and his eventual reconciliation with that student.

Keywords: Cedar Shoals High School; Integration; Parenting; ROTC; Responsibility

Partial Transcript: …the band and some other students had voted for Tam Weaver to be the Homecoming Queen.

Segment Synopsis: Sheats explains the 1977 prom boycott at Cedar Shoals. He recalls being chosen to represent the students and voice their concerns to the principal. He says this experience put him into a "civil rights mindset", which continued throughout his time in the Navy, where he served as a liaison between African American servicemen and the command.

Keywords: Cedar Shoals High School; Desegregation; First AME Church; Integration; MLK Day; Tamara Weaver; U. S. Navy; Boycott

Partial Transcript: By the time my first daughter entered elementary school, she was like her daddy, she struggled a little bit in her reading.

Segment Synopsis: Sheats discusses the difficulties shared between he and his daughter in the school system, and how this lack of change inspired him to run for a position on the school board in 1993. He also describes events that introduced him to politics in Athens-Clarke County. Additionally, Sheats shares his views on the place of Black people within the two-party system, and the lack of Black representation in the local government at the time.

Keywords: African-American politicians; Athens-Clarke County; Democratic Party; Education; Politics; Public schools; Republican Party

Partial Transcript: So, I'd like to say before I move on too far, that one of my motivations to do what I do is because my daddy took the time out to take us to Dr. King's wake and funeral.

Segment Synopsis: Sheats describes how the experience of attending Dr. Martin Luther King's funeral inspired his career in Civil Rights, and the strain such a career can put on the family unit. He emphasizes the importance of having support from his family and the necessity of his wife who has stood by him in difficult times. Sheats also talks about his positions as the President of the Athens chapter of the NAACP and the leader of the Hancock Community Development Corporation.

Keywords: Athens, GA; Civil rights; Community; Family; Hancock Community Development Corporation; Hancock Corridor; Marriage; NAACP

Partial Transcript: How do you deal with situations where you know you're doing what's best for a community or a family, and they're mad at you?

Segment Synopsis: Sheats talks about facing criticism, and the importance of being satisfied in doing what's right in spite of resistance. He also reflects on how hardships and adversity can shape people, and uses his father's negative experiences with white people as an example.

Keywords: Cedar Shoals High School; Leadership; Racism; Sharecropping

Partial Transcript: Even in the Navy I ran into some discrimination.

Segment Synopsis: Sheats recalls his experiences with discrimination in the Navy, specifically an instance in which he was passed up for a promotion when credit for his achievements were given to a white man. He also relates his distrust for white people to his own negative experiences and those of his Cherokee ancestors.

Keywords: 1924 Baker Roll; Cherokee; Discrimination; E6 Advancement Exam; Integration; Native Americans; U.S. Navy; United States Military

Partial Transcript: I would like to go back down the history book just a little bit before we conclude.

Segment Synopsis: Sheats retells the story of the death of his third great-grandfather, Jordan Sheats, who was executed in 1879 for the murder of a Mr. Ledbetter , to illustrate his family's history of resistance. He also describes an incident in which his father slapped the mayor of Athens, Ralph Snow.

Keywords: Athens, GA; Criminal justice system; Danielsville, GA; Jordan Sheats; Mayor Ralph Snow; Murder

Partial Transcript: So, tell me your mother and father's name, and you can go from there.

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Sheats provides a detailed summary of his ancestry, which he has traced back to the 18th century, and discusses his living family. The interview concludes with Sheats giving his ten-year-old self advice, and with closing remarks from Breeding and Sheats.

Keywords: Brenda Denise Rhodes Sheats; Cherokee; Chief Doublehead; Chief Little John; Ella Henrietta Thomas Love; Franklin, NC; Genealogy; Jonniebell Victoria Love; Thomas Sheats Jr.