On Tuesday, January 10th, Republican Governor Nathan Deal issued an Executive Order to remove three African Americans from the Brooks County Board of Education.
This unprecedented act undermines the Voting Right Act and does invite an eventual legal challenge.
This action by the governor is in response to allegations from local Dixiecrats and conservatives that there were voting irregularities and alleged voter fraud in south Georgia's Brooks County during a July 2010 primary.
The Board of Education seats that are being targeted were majority-black districts in which local white Dixiecrats had been occupying for years without much resistance or opposition.
The city of Quitman is 68 percent African-American and the Brooks County Public Schools System is majority black with a growing Latino minority.
The main theme that has come from the local media outlets such as Albany's WALB-TV and Valdosta's WCTV-TV is that there was an increased number of absentee ballots from African-Americans , so therefore fraud is assumed.
Local Dixiecrats have attempted to use different methods to hinder African-Americans who are senior citizens from voting and Valdosta's J. David Miller, the district attorney from the Southern Judicial Distrct, summoned the GBI to go to Brooks County and interrogate older black citizens and some were in their 60's, 70's and 80's.
Calvary Christian Center Pastor Ronnie Avery told the Valdosta Daily Times that he believes Governor Deal's actions and the indictment is a political move.
“It was a shot across the black community to let us know that if you rise up against the powers that be, this is what’s going to happen,” he said. “More than anything, it was a fear tactic to keep black people from being involved in the political process.”
Not only is the Quitman 12 are targeted, but black voters in general in this south Georgia community.
Some of the voters who are senior citizens had physical disabilities, but they still have the right to vote by absentee ballot and if they need assistance it is protected under federal and state law.
The Quitman 12 insist they followed the laws, but the prospect of a majority Black School board activated a chain of events and strong reaction from local Dixiecrats and now Bainbridge's Joe Mulholland has taken over the case despite J. David Miller was the one who originally opened the investigation in 2010.
The Quitman 12 have all maintained their innocence and is ready to fight the charges in a court of law.
Three of the Quitman 12 were serving on the Brooks County Board of Education. Dr. Nancy Dennard, Elizabeth Thomas and Linda Troutman who are now currently suspended until the case is adjudicated.
The actions by this ethically challenged governor, Nathan Deal, parallels what past segregationist governors had done during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
Deal who is 70 years old grew up in rural Sandersville, Georgia as a Dxiecrat and is now mimicking some of the actions of previous infamous governors who became historical figures during the Jim Crow era. Two examples come to mind -- Alabama's George Wallace and Arkansas' Orval Faubus.
In 1963, Wallace touted in his infamous and defiant speech when he became Governor of Alabama the following: "segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever".
Wallace stood in front of the University of Alabama to keep black students from entering.
Now in 2012, J. David Miller, Joe Mulholland and Governor Nathan Deal are standing metaphorically in front of the ballot box in Brooks County.
The Quitman-Brooks County School Board did make history in regard to becoming a majority black school board for the first time in January 2011, but the governor's actions helped to install control of the majority black school system under the control of Local Dixiecrat and former chairman, Brad Shealy.
Shealy was the long-time chairman of the Brooks Board of Education prior to January 2011, but also works as an assistant district attorney in the office of the Southern Judicial District with J. David Miller.
Debra Folsom, the Brooks County Superintendent, was very disingenuous in her comments which were made on Albany's WALB-TV in regard to the governor's executive to remove the black members of the board.
Folsom is eager to get things back to normal and quickly replace Dennard, Thomas and Troutman.
In WALB-TV report, Folsom reinterated that her main concern is the children of a school system which is majority black.
However, the actions by local Dixiecrat officials say a different thing.
This situation isn't about the children. This is about Dixiecrats and local conservatives attempting to preserve a Jim Crow culture in 2012 along with validating the contnued disenfranchisement of its minority citizens.
Incidentally, the governor's actions were implemented on the weekend prior to Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.
Brooks County Superior Court is scheduled to try the case in April.
