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Chamber hires new Main Street Director
Lauren-Head-Shot
Lauren Singleton

COVINGTON, Ga. – The Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce announced today that Lauren Singleton has been hired as the new Main Street Director.

After an extensive search process, the Covington/Newton Chamber of Commerce has hired Singleton as the new Director of the Main Street Covington program.  The Director will have responsibility for day-to-day operations of the program that oversees the activities in the geographic area known as the “Downtown Business District.”  The district includes the historic downtown square as well as several blocks adjacent to downtown, including most of the government district in Covington.

“We are very excited to bring Lauren on our Chamber team.” Chamber President Ralph Staffins said. “We reviewed over 25 applicants for this position and finding the right person who had strong Main Street experience, a history of successful relationship building, and the unique personality for this role was not easy. We feel Lauren brings all these skill sets to the program.”

Allan Seebaran, chair of the Main Street Board, said, “Downtown Covington has grown to a level that compares us to larger and more progressive cities; Miss Singleton is bringing the experience, training, knowledge, and creativity to take us to the next level.”

Lauren is a native of Georgia and previously worked as the Main Street Manager for the City of McDonough. She has produced several events for the cities of McDonough, Riverdale and Morrow. As a graduate of Clayton College & State University in Morrow, Georgia, she received her bachelor’s degree in Integrative Studies with an emphasis on Entertainment Management. Singleton’s background includes social media management, graphic design, and marketing, in addition to event production and management.Her official start date will be May 29.

The Main Street program is built upon four guiding principles that the Director will be responsible for: Organization—the Main Street Board, volunteers, and committees; Design—maintaining the historic design values of the district, signage, and coordinated streetscape and landscape aesthetics; Promotion—brand management and drawing visitors and residents to the district; Economic Restructuring—connecting property owners and businesses in the district to financial and business solutions.

Any questions or inquiries can be directed to Ralph Staffins at RStaffins@newtonchamber.com, or by calling the office at 770-786-7510.

‘Newton Six’ member and civil rights icon Joseph Lightfoot passes away
joe lightfoot

Trailblazer. Icon. Revolutionary. Hero. All of these words can be attributed to local legend Joseph “Joe” W. Lightfoot.

Lightfoot, widely known throughout the community as a civil rights icon, passed away on Feb. 6 at the age of 75. He was officially laid to rest on Feb. 15.

Born on May 6, 1949, Lightfoot grew up in an era where segregation was prevalent. In a time when Jim Crow laws still held weight, he endured an era filled with discrimination.

While desegregation of schools throughout the U.S. was made official in 1954, the problem still persisted in Newton County throughout the 50s and 60s. Integration of Georgia schools was made mandatory in 1969 as part of a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice against the state.

As part of the lawsuit, the Newton County School System adopted a desegregation plan that would consist of seven years of elementary school and five years of high school. The plan would also phase out the Washington Street Elementary School with an all-Black student body and a 2:1 ratio of White teachers to Black teachers. Additionally, the all-Black R.L. Cousins High School was slated to become a satellite campus for the then all-White Newton County High School.

However, once rumors spread that Black teachers and administrators at R.L. Cousins would be terminated, the students decided to take action. Students at R.L. Cousins decided to walk out of class on Feb. 27, 1970, and march to the Board of Education in protest, with Lightfoot joining in alongside them.

Protests continued throughout much of March, expanding to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office as well as segregated stores in downtown Covington. Eventually, the protests caught the eye of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Rev. Hosea Williams, a key member of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s inner-circle. Williams sent Tyrone Brooks, a now-former Georgia State representative, to help lead the protests. 

The next step in the protests was taken with what was called “Black Easter,” a boycott measure designed to hamper the local economy. Instead of buying new clothes for Easter Sunday, approximately “80 percent” of Black residents decided to wear older clothes instead.

This drew the ire of then-Sheriff Henry Odum, who elected to take harsher measures. Odum ordered the jailing of six people: SCLC leaders Leon Walker, Lloyd Jackson and Brooks as well as Newton County residents Forrest Sawyer Jr., Robert Johnson and Lightfoot.

Together, the collective would be known as the “Newton Six,” which remains one of the more influential groups in Newton County history.

The Newton Six, Lightfoot included, were held without bond in Newton County Jail on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. After 45 days, they were released on orders from the federal government.

Eventually, the work from the Newton Six began to take shape, with Black representation increasing throughout the county for years to come.

But even though the original protests ended 55 years ago, Lightfoot remained active in fighting for what he felt was right. 

“We want to keep the dream alive, keep Dr. King’s dream alive - one nation, under God, with individual rights,” Lightfoot said in a Covington News interview in 2009. “On the local level that includes education, community advancement and creating jobs.”

Since that 2009 interview, the dream has continued to live on. Black History Month proceedings are larger than ever in Newton County, with events like the Leonard Moody HBCU Invitational and the annual Black History Month Parade taking place to honor the importance of Black history. 

While there may still be work that needs to be done, many were quick to point out the impact that Lightfoot had in his 75 years on Earth.

“Mr. Lightfoot was a phenomenal man and great leader for the community,” said Newton County Board of Commissioners community liaison Nwaka Hughes. “His words of encouragement and wisdom will be remembered and forever missed. May he Rest in Peace and Power.”

“I will cherish all the stories that Mr. Lightfoot shared with me about his life in Newton County,” said District 3 Commissioner Stephanie Lindsey. “He truly will be missed.”

“He was a pillar in the community that will be missed,” said Dr. Gwen Cattledge, Immediate Past President of the Newton County NAACP. “Remember that earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. Rest in Power.”