tidbits, fragments, and ephemera is a sometimes substantial but not making any promises glimpse at some information and news related to Generation X in the Deep South.
“The time a young Prince Charles attended a Georgia Bulldogs game,” October 1977
The man who is now king was the first member of the British royal family to attend a University of Georgia football game. Quite an accomplishment!
The Crime in South Carolina, 1979 report
Published in 1980 by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, this report gives data “for murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. They are broken down, when applicable, by type of weapon used, victim-offender relationship, value of property stolen, week of the month, etc. Victims’ age, race, and sex are noted.” Statistics are organized into tables graphs that provide nuanced information about crimes in the late 1970s. For example, from 1977 to 1979, about one-quarter of all murders happened on a Saturday.
The band Alabama wins Country Music Entertainer of the Year, 1982
Harwood v. Underwood, 1985
Though most GenXers, who were 20 years old or younger in 1985, wouldn’t have paid much attention to a Supreme Court ruling about the disenfranchisement of convicted criminals in Alabama, it mattered to the future of voting rights. Alabama’s 1901 Constitution took away the right to vote from any one convicted of “any . . . crime involving moral turpitude”— felonies and misdemeanors. However, according to this lawsuit, “the misdemeanors encompassed within §182 were intentionally adopted to disenfranchise blacks on account of race, and that their inclusion in §182 has had the intended effect.” Essentially, the suit contended that Alabama’s law was designed to prevent as many black people as possible from voting. The US Supreme Court agreed, and Alabama could no longer prohibit people convicted of a misdemeanor from voting. (Unfortunately, felons are still disallowed from voting in Alabama.)
level:deepsouth is an online anthology about growing up Generation X in the Deep South during the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. The anthology is open to submissions of creative nonfiction (essays, memoirs, and reviews), fiction, poetry, and images (photos and flyers), as well as to contributions for the lists.
level:deepsouth 