A work more than 24 years in the making that offers a refreshing look at Georgia's founder was officially unveiled Saturday, June 29, at the Hyatt Regency in Savannah. DeKalb County historian and CEO Michael Thurmond hosted a book signing and Q&A discussion about his latest work, “James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia: A Founder's Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist.”

The event attracted dozens of participants from the local community, including Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, State Rep. Edna Jackson, County Commissioner Tanya Milton, Savannah Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Bert Brantley, and Savannah State University Interim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander.

“James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia” brings to light important details about the personal and political path of this historical figure who, in Thurmond’s eyes, became the “grandfather of the abolitionist movement.” On Saturday, Thurmond made it clear that the work came with a caveat. “I would warn you that there is no political correctness in this book,” he said, alluding to the prevailing colonial-era views on race, religion and humanity. “That's what they believed. Christians argued that black people had no soul,” Thurmond said.

Oglethorpe's development was fueled in part by letters from Ayuba Suleiman Diallo and Olaudah Equiano, two former African slaves. According to Thurmond, who has spent decades unravelling stories and examining evidence, the letters were a turning point for Oglethorpe's legacy and, ultimately, our identity as a nation.

“So what was special about these letters? What did they say?” Versions of these questions dominated the discussion on Saturday evening.

Thurmond said Oglethorpe “saw that the [Diallo’s] The letter was not written by someone who was desperate or seeking compassion or sympathy. Diallo was … not a person plagued by a loss of agency. He talked about his ancestors and his wife and children. And he praised all devotion to Allah. None of that is in the prevailing narrative. So it was insightful to have the letter independently translated,” Thurmond said.

When Oglethorpe read the letters, he realized that Diallo's humanity was no different from his own.

Thurmond described the book as the most important work hevery good.

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Photo by Heike Currie

From left to right: Michael Traynor, CEO of Traynor Consulting Services; Fifth District County Commissioner Tanya Milton; DeKalb County Historian and CEO Michael Thurmond; and Georgia State Representative Edna Jackson.

In an interview with Connect Savannah, When asked when he realized this, Thurmond said, “Years before I first went to a publisher, I realized the importance of this evidence, and I knew it would have a tremendous impact if I ever got the chance to share it.”

He says the true story of Oglethorpe's legacy “was so well hidden and so tangled that it had to be unraveled…just like a little chain that gets knotted and is almost impossible to unravel.” Among those inspired by Oglethorpe were President Abraham Lincoln, abolitionist Granville Sharp and church reformer John Wesley.

For the present, Thurmond positions this book as “an antidote, a response to the current climate of polarized public debates,” he said ConnectOn this topic, Mayor Johnson answered a question from an attendee about what this new knowledge about Oglethorpe might mean for Savannah, a city he founded.

“We were just talking about this a few minutes ago.s here,” said Mayor Johnson. “If you know better, you do better. We've learned the story of Susie King Taylor and you all know what we've done. Because we want to expand the story, I think this gives us opportunities as a community to talk about it. … I'm open. I've got three and a half years to figure it out.”

Mayor Johnson added: “We could make it a Broadway musical, 'Oglethorpe' instead of 'Hamilton,' with Michael Thurmond in the lead role.”

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Photo by Heike Currie

DeKalb County historian and CEO Michael Thurmond signs a copy of his book, “James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia,” for Linda Johnson on Saturday, June 29, 2024.

Linda Johnson, a retired civil servant who now consults as CEO of The Link and Associates, shared what she took away from the discussion. “What I took away from it is that we have a shared history. And we need to embrace each other, individually and collectively, so the world can get better,” Johnson said. “He talked about Oglethorpe having flaws, you know, it's true that nobody's going to be perfect. But we have this drive for perfection. … Given the challenges we face today in the U.S. and abroad, we need to work together to find common ground. Listening to each other, respecting each other. Those are the themes I heard there: respect, communication, building trust, working together across party lines, not getting boxed into tribes and cults of personality.”

Johnson continued, “Oglethorpe was a man who showed a willingness and courage to step off the beaten path, even when it was hard. And that's what we're asking people to do today: stand up for what's right. Right is right and wrong is wrong, so call it what it is. And that's exactly what Oglethorpe did back then: he spoke out.”