Macon Churches and the Civil Rights Movement
Martin Luther King, Jr. observed that eleven o'clock on a Sunday is the most segregated hour of the week in the South. Before the Civil Rights Movement, southern churches were radically segregated, white worshippers rarely visited black churches, and many white churches formally banned black worshippers. The movement raised difficult questions about the role of religion in social problems, and church congregations responded to the issues in a broad range of ways.
This exhibit examines the responses of four Macon churches to the Civil Rights Movement.
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Tattnall Square Baptist Church: Originally located on the campus of Mercer University, this church chose to resist integration and to depose the pastor who supported integration.
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Vineville Baptist Church: Led by Reverend Walter Moore, Vineville became the first Southern Baptist church in Georgia to integrate when it voted Sam Oni into the congregation.
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Macedonia Baptist Church: One of the largest African American congregations in Macon, many members of Macedonia have personal memories of involvement with the movement.
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St. Peter Claver Catholic Church: Founded by missionary priests in an African American neighborhood, this church has been integrated since the nineteenth century.
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