Before the clocks struck midnight, before freedom found its way into law books, Black folks were already awakened. Awakened in the hush of pine-shadowed churches, awakened in praise houses leaning toward the marsh, awakened between damp blankets, awakened in cabins where whispered prayers traveled faster than fear. On the night of Dec. 31, 1862, African […]
History
Posted inEssay, History
From Summerhill to Auburn Avenue, the Church That Would Not Fall
Sunday is when paradise is preached and seen. They come dressed in their Sunday best. Starched collars and scuffed shoes. Wide-brimmed hats blooming like flowers across the sanctuary. An elder humming low, as if tuning her soul like a string before the choir rose. The beauty of the stained glass fell across the pews like […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, History
The 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre Stole Black Lives Where Downtown Condos Now Stand
I hold your stories. I am Georgia’s red clay and black land. The silence that speaks beneath the roar of trains and traffic. I am a record. You call me soil, but I am memory. I remember how Black life rose after slavery’s end. How men and women carved businesses into my streets, lifted schools […]
Posted inEducation, History
New John Lewis Mural Unveiled at DeKalb County School
In 2019, U.S. Rep. John Lewis attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a school named in his honor. Now, a mural at the DeKalb County school continues to celebrate his legacy. Unveiled Monday, the mural at John R. Lewis Elementary in Brookhaven features the colorful picture of the civil rights icon holding hands with children along […]
Posted inHistory
The Long Journey to Preserve Emmett Till’s Story, 70 Years After His Lynching
At about 9 a.m. local time on Thursday, the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. arrived by train in Greenwood, Mississippi. He traveled for nearly 13 hours from Chicago aboard the Amtrak City of New Orleans. This first-of-its-kind commemorative ride was done to honor the life of his cousin and best friend, Emmett Till. Parker and Till […]
Posted inHistory
Stone Mountain Controversy: Georgia Moves to Dismiss Confederate Suit Over Slavery Exhibit
A Confederate soldiers group that filed a lawsuit last month to stop a “truth telling” exhibit from opening at Stone Mountain Park were dealt a blow by Georgia’s attorney general. The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans filed the lawsuit against the state park, saying officials broke state law by planning an exhibit […]
Posted inEssay, History
History Beneath Our Feet: The Police Killings That Sparked Summer Riots in the 1960s
Atlanta loves to repeat its favorite line, a city too busy to hate. But these places know otherwise. There are streets in Atlanta where memory lies low, beneath the asphalt, whispering like wind through brick. If you walk slowly enough, you’ll hear it: not history, but instruction. Not nostalgia, but reckoning. Begin here. Georgia Avenue. […]
Posted inHistory, Politics & Policy
Bernice King Condemns MLK File Release, Calls for Epstein Docs
The youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. has joined the chorus of critics calling on President Donald Trump to release the Jeffrey Epstein files in response to the federal government unveiling thousands of investigative documents relating to her father’s assassination. Bernice King expressed disapproval in a series of statements on Monday regarding the Trump […]
Posted inEssay, History
History Beneath Our Feet: Marcus Garvey Met with the Klan and then Faced Prison in Atlanta
Stand at the corner of Auburn Avenue and Jessie Hill Jr. Drive, and wait for the wind to blow. Admire the blue letters “Jesus Saves,” hanging like a benediction above Big Bethel AME Church. Steady your eyes and try to see him in the whirlwinds. It’s been raining lately in Atlanta, so maybe you will […]
Posted inHistory
Confederate Supporters Sue over Slavery and Segregation Exhibit at Stone Mountain
Most weekends, within the shadow of its controversial history, Stone Mountain Park is teeming with a diverse group of attendees. Located just east of Atlanta, Black women gather to power walk along the winding trails while others climb the jagged rocky path to the top of the Confederate memorial in the 3,200 acre park. Billed […]