Shots in the Back: Exhuming the 1970 Augusta Riot

Oct 19 2020 69

Shots in the Back: Exhuming the 1970 Augusta Riot Podcast artwork

"Shots in the Back: Exhuming the 1970 Augusta Riot" tells the story of one of the first major Civil Rights Era riots in the South. The immediate cause of the riot in Augusta, Ga. was the brutal murder of Charles Oatman, an African American teenager held by police in the county jail. During the riot, six Black men were killed by white police officers, all of them shot in the back. In a collaboration, students at the Jessye Norman School of the Arts join GPB in telling this story.

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Bonus: Telling The Story_

Oct 19 2020 30 mins

Host Sea Stachura and editor Keocia Howard look back on the making of "Shots in the Back: Exhuming the 1970 Augusta Riot."

Episode 6: Was The Augusta Riot Worth It?

Sep 14 2020 47 mins

Was the Augusta riot worth it? Fifty years after the uprising, we look at the societal changes that it sparked, and what the Civil Rights Movement looks like today.

Bonus: No Peace, No Justice, 1970

Sep 07 2020 7 mins

In 1970, what happened in Augusta was actually part of a larger national story as campuses across the country were shut down due to protests.

Episode 5: The Smoke Clears

Sep 04 2020 46 mins

In the months following Augusta's riot, activism was at an all-time high. As white Augustans braced themselves for the possibility of more violence, Black activists worked for more immediate change. Meanwhile, the police department rewarded the officers involved in the riot, and the friends and families of "The Augusta Six" demanded justice.

Bonus: All Cakes Should Be Equal

Aug 24 2020 15 mins

Students from the Jessye Norman School of the Arts have been working hard to tell the story of the 1970 Augusta riot in the podcast, Shots in the Back. Half of these students are white, while the rest are Black. That dynamic has made it intimidating to talk about racism in the classroom. In this bonus episode, several of them share their fears about racism.

Episode 4: Shoot To Kill

Aug 09 2020 41 mins

Inside the chaos of the uprising, Black and white leaders were trying to quell the violence. As rioters set fire to white-owned businesses, police officers were told to shoot to kill. In this episode, we tell the stories of the six Black men killed by white police officers. The victims, who were all shot in the back, would be remembered as The Augusta Six.

Episode 3: The Days Of The Riot

Jul 26 2020 48 mins

In this timeline of the 48-hour uprising in Augusta, we chart its chronological and geographic path. We hear about rioters who targeted Chinese-owned businesses, while police in armored personnel carriers patrolled the streets. The National Guard also surrounded Paine College, a historically black college.

Bonus: People Called Him Charlie

Jul 21 2020 9 mins

A listener reaches out to share his memories of Charlie Oatman. Fred McBrayer was a vocational rehabilitation counselor in Augusta, who worked with Oatman at his high school.

Episode 2: A Lay Of The Land In 1970 Augusta

Jul 12 2020 46 mins

Why were Black Augustans so angry about Charles Oatman's death? Because it was a symbol for the myriad of other injustices and oppressions that they have dealt with everyday. This episode weaves together seemingly isolated issues that together stymied the progress and equality of Augusta's Black citizens.

Bonus: Could Charles Oatman’s Death Happen Today?

Jul 07 2020 12 mins

Students from the Jessye Norman School of the Arts reflect on what they learned in the first episode of the podcast about Charles Oatman’s 1970 death in a Richmond County jail. They also draw on comparisons to Sandra Bland, who died in a Texas jail cell in 2015.