'As If We Were Ghosts' set to premiere: GIA documentary to air twice on GPB

Jun. 13—ATLANTA — They will be forgotten no more. On June 13, the history of the Georgia Interscholastic Association will be honored with the premiere of "As If We Were Ghosts" on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The special will broadcast at 9 p.m. June 13, with a replay at 5 p.m. June 19.

The Georgia Interscholastic Association (GIA) served Black athletes across the state during the days of segregation. It formed in 1948, growing out of the Big 7 Conference, which covered most of Georgia's large, metro high schools. The league expanded to include nearly every county in the state — in 1960, 147 of Georgia's 159 counties had at least one African-American high school — and held championships in many sports and literary events.

"As If We Were Ghosts" features interviews from many legendary athletes, including Walt Frazier, Wyomia Tyus and Rayfield Wright, all of whom played at all-Black high schools. Despite limited funds and often unequal access to facilities, the GIA's athletes excelled at all levels.

When permitted to join the Georgia High Schools Association in 1966, two schools, Carver (Atlanta) and Beach immediately won state basketball championships. Wright and Mel Blount have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tyus was one of many Olympians who began their careers on dirt tracks in Georgia.

"As If We Were Ghosts" has been a pet project for real estate developer Ron Bivins. A native of Americus, Bivins starred at Staley High School. He and the Ours Studio film crew have traveled the state, gathering previously unknown stories for the documentary.

"They are ghosts no more," said Bivins.

Herb White, former University of Georgia basketball star, is an executive producer along with Bivins. White's work on "As If We Were Ghosts" was inspired by high school days in Decatur and summer workouts against Black athletes who would never be his teammates because of segregation.

The Tifton Gazette's Becky Taylor has been assisting with "As If Were Ghosts," sharing years of research on the GIA. Taylor has tracked down most of the league's state champions through extensive newspaper research.