MACON, Ga. — Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town" has thrown heaps of attention on Aldean's hometown: Macon.
The track was released in mid-May but only really gained attention once CMT aired the song's music video, then pulled it.
Some critics called the lyrics and the video divisive. A portion of the music video shows Aldean outside Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a lynching happened in 1927.
With critics taking aim at the song's racial undertones and music video, Macon community leaders are stepping up to showcase the Macon that they know and love.
"Everyone here in Macon knows where we come from, what we stand for, [and] all the things we've accomplished over the last few years. " Mayor Lester Miller told Liz Fabian on an upcoming episode of Central Georgia Focus. "Our actions speak for themselves, and we're proud to be part of that."
In a video released by Visit Macon, another member of the community, Justin Andrews, weighed in on what he believes Macon really stands for.
"People from Macon take pride in their city," Andrews, grandson of Macon's own Otis Redding, said in the video. "It is an inclusive place. I feel welcome here. I feel safe here. I feel welcome here. My business and my family feel respected here."
Andrews, who also is in charge of special projects for the Otis Redding Foundation, said in the two-minute video that Macon was an important place for his grandfather.
"My granddad really loved Macon," Andrews said. "Macon was very important for him to start his business, to raise a family, to build his home for the rest of his life."
Redding was one of the significant icons of soul and blues. His family stayed in Macon even after Redding died in a plane crash in 1967.
But Andrews does recognize that there are problems that need to be addressed.
"Macon is not perfect. Nobody is perfect. No city is perfect," Andrews said. "But one thing I can say about Macon is that it always works to right its wrongs, and we are continuing to do that every day."
Andrews points to the progress that has happened outside of the Otis Redding Foundation's office on Cotton Avenue in downtown Macon.
"My business sits out in front of what used to be a slave auction block," Andrews said. "We went from having a confederate monument erected right in front of my business to having a beautiful plaza for people of all walks of life to enjoy downtown."
Then, Andrews also points out the tidal wave of community support when Macon's synagogue, Temple Beth Israel, was rocked by an antisemitic protest outside during their worship.
"The people here in Macon understand that wrong is wrong and right is right," Andrews said.
It demonstrated to him that, in times when the community sees people hurt, they step up.
"Race, color, creed — it doesn't matter," Andrews said. "Everyone came out to support the cause because they knew it was wrong. "
With Aldean's song being called "Try That in a Small Town," many have criticized Aldean for saying he's from a small town when he's from Macon. Miller said that he doesn't believe it is a small town.
"Certainly, we have close to 160,000 people, I don't think that's a small town," Miller said. "We continue to have the most diverse community I see around, and that's our strength."
Even though Aldean has been in hot water, though, Miller said that Aldean is still someone who we are proud to say is from our community.
"We're proud of everyone who comes out of Macon, and certainly sometimes they're going to have challenges, but it's something we can overcome," Miller said.
But with all the attention and some controversial critiques being leveled against the Macon community, Miller thinks that Maconites are going to keep their focus on who they really are.
"Right now, I think Macon is on an upward trajectory," Miller said, "and we don't let people in New York and other places tell us what kind of people we are."
Central Georgia Focus airs on Saturday at noon on 13WMAZ.
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