This Black History Month, we honor Johnny Waits, whose leadership in preserving the history of Flat Rock — one of Georgia’s oldest Black communities — keeps stories of resilience, legacy, and heritage alive for future generations.

DeKalb County History Maker |Johnny Waits – Preserving Flat Rock’s Legacy

Johnny Waits is a dedicated historian and preservationist whose work has ensured that the story of Flat Rock, one of Georgia’s oldest continuously occupied African American communities, is not forgotten.

As President and Co-Founder of the Flat Rock Archives, Waits has spent decades collecting and safeguarding artifacts, records, photographs, oral histories, cemetery records, maps, and more that tell the story of the Flat Rock community, a place founded by descendants of enslaved people and home to families whose roots extend deep into the post-Civil War era.

Under his leadership, the Archives, based in the historic T.A. Bryant, Sr. House, donated to the effort in the early 2000s, has become a vital cultural resource and educational site within the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, hosting tours, research projects, and community events that connect visitors to the resilience and richness of Flat Rock’s heritage.

Waits’ work ensures that future generations can learn about the community’s origins, including its agricultural beginnings, its cemetery sites dating back to the 19th century, and the ongoing legacy of land ownership, community cohesion, and cultural identity that grew out of the struggle for freedom and belonging in the rural South.

Johnny Waits’ commitment to preserving Flat Rock’s history highlights how Black heritage in DeKalb County continues to be honored, protected, and shared for years to come.