The Georgia Interscholastic Association (GIA), formed in 1948, was a sports league of high schools serving African Americans in Georgia. It merged into the

Georgia High School Association The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) is an organization that governs athletics and activities for member high schools in Georgia, USA. GHSA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The association has 463 pu ...

with desegregation in 1970. '' As If We Were Ghosts'' is a documentary film made about the league and its athletes. The Georgia Interscholastic Association held state championship competitions from 1948–70 and joined the

the following year.

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. High schools for African Americans from 147 of Georgia's 159 counties came to be included in the league.

Walt Frazier Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's o ...

Wyomia Tyus Wyomia Tyus (pronunciation: ''why-o-mi''; born August 29, 1945) is a retired American track and field sprinter, and the first person to retain the Olympic title in the 100 m (a feat since duplicated by Carl Lewis, Gail Devers, Shelly-Ann Fraser ...

Otis Sistrunk Otis Sistrunk (born September 18, 1946) is a former professional football player who played seven seasons as a defensive lineman, from 1972 to 1978. He played his entire National Football League (NFL) career with the Oakland Raiders. Sistrunk lat ...

, Monk Johnson,

Rayfield Wright Larry Rayfield Wright (August 23, 1945 – April 7, 2022) was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He is a member of the Pro Football Ha ...

. Don Adams, Willie Seay, and

Edith McGuire Edith Marie McGuire (born June 3, 1944), later known as Edith McGuire Duvall, is an American former sprinter. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, McGuire ran for Tennessee State University. TSU had a very successful women's sprinting team, The Tigerbelle ...

emerged from the league. Seay went on to star on

Albany State University Albany State University is a public historically black university in Albany, Georgia. In 2017, Darton State College and Albany State University consolidated to become one university under the University System of Georgia (USG). Albany State U ...

's track team and carried the

Olympic torch The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olym ...

before the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta, Georgia. Becky Taylor who works at the '' Tifton Gazette'' has been researching the league for years. 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 The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

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

Ann Kimbrough Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

High schools

* Henry McNeal Turner High School in northwest Atlanta * Washington High School in southwest Atlanta * South Fulton High School in

East Point, Georgia East Point is a suburban city located southwest of Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,358. The city name is derived from being at the opposite end of the former Atlanta & Wes ...

Ballard-Hudson High School Ballard-Hudson High School was a high school in Macon, Georgia, United States. Several buildings have existed on the site. Ballard-Hudson Senior High School was built in 1949 as the only high school in Macon for African Americans in grades nine th ...

in Macon * Alfred E. Beach High School in Savannah *

David T. Howard High School David T. Howard High School was a school for African American students in Atlanta, Georgia. It has many prominent alumni. In 2018 the school was being renovated for a planned 2020 reopening as a middle school. Alumni include Martin Luther King Jr ...

in Northeast Atlanta * Carver High School in Southeast Atlanta * South Fulton High School in East Point *

Josey High School T. W. Josey Comprehensive High School (commonly referred to as T. W. Josey or Josey High School) is a public high school in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Josey's campus is located several blocks south of the Medical District. The campus is bo ...

in Augusta * Central High School in Springfield *

Atkinson County Training High School Atkinson may refer to: Places * Atkinson, Nova Scotia, Canada * Atkinson, Dominica, a village in Dominica * Atkinson, Illinois, U.S. * Atkinson, Indiana, U.S. *Atkinson, Maine, U.S. *Atkinson Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. * Atkinson, Nebraska, ...

in Pearson *

Appling High School Appling may refer to: Places *Appling, Georgia * Appling County, Georgia People *Daniel Appling (1787–1817), officer in the United States Army * Dean R. Appling, American biochemist *Howell Appling Jr. (1919–2002), American businessman and ...

in Macon *

Eva Thomas High School Eva L. Thomas High School was a high school for African Americans in College Park, Georgia established in 1964, and closed in 1969. It was named after Atlanta Public Schools educator Eva Louise Thomas, who died less than a year before the school op ...

in College Park *

Harrison High School Harrison High School may refer to: in the United States ''(by state)'' *Harrison High School (Harrison, Arkansas), listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Harrison High School (Colorado Springs) — Colorado Springs, Colorado * Har ...

in West Point * Risley High School in Brunswick * Calhoun High School * Carver High School in Dawson * Lee Street High School in Blackshear * Hutto High School in Bainbridge *

Macon County Training High School Macon may refer to: Places Belgium *Macon, Belgium France *Mâcon ** Ancient Diocese of Mâcon **Mâcon, another name for the Mâconnais wine from that region United States of America * Macon, Alabama * Macon, Georgia * Macon, Illinois *Macon, ...

in Montezuma * Holsey-Cobb Institute in Cordele * Thomaston Training School in Wayne County * Training School in Jesup * Hill High School in LaFayette * Edison Negro High School * Alma Consolidated High School * Fairmont High School in Griffin * Richland High & Industrial * Hunt High School in Fort Valley *

Haralson County Consolidated High School Haralson may refer to: * Haralson, Georgia * Haralson County, Georgia Haralson County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,919, up from 28,780 2010. The county ...

in Waco * Monitor High School in Fitzgerald *

in West Point * South Fulton High School in East Point * Central High School in McRae * George W. Drake High School in Thomaston * R. L. Cousins High School in Douglasville * Bethune High School in Folkston * West End School in Hogansville *

Ralph Bunche High School Ralph Bunche High School was a school constructed in 1949 as a result of Civil Action 631 to provide "separate but equal" education for African-American students in King George County, Virginia. The school operated until 1968 when King George H ...

in Canton * St. Pius X High School in Savannah *

Eureka School Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

Liberty County High School Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society f ...

* Bailey-Johnson School in Alpharetta *

Calhoun Crawford County Training School John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was the 7th vice president of the United States. Calhoun can also refer to: Surname * Calhoun (surname) Inhabited places in the United States *Calhoun, Georgia *Calhoun, Illinois * Calhoun, Kansas * Calhoun, Kentuc ...

in Roberta * Whitman Street High School in Toccoa * Stephens High School in Calhoun *

Lucy Craft Laney High School Lucy C. Laney Comprehensive High School (Laney High School) is a public high school in the Laney-Walker district of Augusta, Georgia, United States. It was formed in 1949 by combining the A. R. Johnson and Haines Normal and Industrial Institute ...

in Augusta, Georgia * Luther Judson Price High School in southeast Atlanta * Sophronia Tompkins High School (became Woodville-Tompkins) *Houston High School, Indians *Wilson High School * William H. Spencer High School in Columbus *

Dasher High School Dasher High School is a historic school in Valdosta, Georgia, United States that served African Americans. Inscribed 1929 in its cornerstone, the school was a high school for African Americans. James L. Lomax, a leader in African American educ ...

* Pinevale High School in Valdosta, the Fighting Tigers *

Boggs Academy Boggs Academy was a Presbyterian school for African Americans founded in 1906 in Walker Settlement ( Burke County), Georgia, United States, ( east of St. Clair), under the auspices of the Board of Missions for Freedmen, Presbyterian Church (US ...

, a Presbyterian parochial school * Elm Street High School, now Rockmart Middle School * Cedar Hill High School in

Cedartown, Georgia Cedartown is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,190. Cedartown is the principal city of and is included in the Cedartown, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is i ...

* William Bryant High School in Moultrie, formerly Moultrie High School for Negro Youth It became a junior high school after integration * Lemon Street High School of Marietta, the Hornets *

Elder High School , motto_translation = Strive for the higher things , streetaddress = 3900 Vincent Avenue , region = Price Hill , city = Cincinnati , county = , state ...

Sandersville, Georgia The city of Sandersville is the county seat of Washington County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,912 at the 2010 census. It is also a part of the Central Savannah River Area. Sandersville is known as the "Kaolin Capital of the World ...

* Maggie Califf High School in

Gray, Georgia Gray is a city in Jones County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,276 at the 2010 census, up from 1,811 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jones County. It is part of the Macon Metropolitan Area. History Gray was founde ...

* Peabody High School in

Eastman, Georgia Eastman is a city in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,962 at the 2010 census. Named after one of the founders who contributed a site and paid for the county courthouse, the city was established in 1871, and is the county ...

References

{{Reflist 1970 mergers and acquisitions Jim Crow Discrimination 1948 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Sports in Georgia (U.S. state)