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Georgia Interscholastic Association

High school athletic league during segregation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Georgia Interscholastic Association
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The Georgia Interscholastic Association (GIA), formed in 1948, was a sports league of high schools serving African Americans in Georgia.[1] It merged into the Georgia High School Association with desegregation in 1970.[2] As If We Were Ghosts is a documentary film made about the league and its athletes.[3][4][5][6][7][8] The Georgia Interscholastic Association held state championship competitions from 1948–70 and joined the Georgia High School Association the following year.[2]

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History

The Big 7 Conference included large high schools for African American students in Georgia. The GIA was an expansion of this league that grew to include county high schools around the state.[9] High schools for African Americans from 147 of Georgia's 159 counties came to be included in the league.

Walt Frazier, Wyomia Tyus, Otis Sistrunk, Monk Johnson, Rayfield Wright.[6] Don Adams, Willie Seay, and Edith McGuire emerged from the league.[10][11][12] Seay went on to star on Albany State University's track team and carried the Olympic torch before the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.[12] Becky Taylor who works at the Tifton Gazette has been researching the league for years.[6] Herb White, nicknamed the Elevator from Decatur, worked on the documentary film about the league. A high school basketball, star he went on to play for the Atlanta Hawks.[7]

The GIS grew to include high schools for African American students from 147 of Georgia's 159 counties.[6] After the film was broadcast the filmmakers and some of those featured in the film participated in a panel discussion moderated by Ann Kimbrough.[10]

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High schools

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References

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