"Thomasville hoped to remove mold, lead and failing sewage from a historic Black neighborhood. "THOMASVILLE, Ga. — As Earl Williams drove through a historic Black neighborhood known as Dewey City in his hometown, he hardly recognized what he saw. Black churches once used Oquina Creek, which runs along the border of the neighborhood, to baptize their congregants. “Sometimes you get the feeling like you’re in a Third World country,” Williams said. After three decades in Washington, D.C., he returned four years ago with a mission to revitalize communities such as Dewey City, which he said are “part of what makes Thomasville, Thomasville.”"