Tag Archives: Civil Rights Movement

Timing will be just right for Atlanta’s Center for Civil and Human Rights

Date: March 11th, 2013, 4:34 pm

By Maria Saporta

In August, it will be the 50-year anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

And it is at the “50-year mark” when a major moment in history moves from being a memoriam to part of a legacy that can be connected to contemporary issues, according to Doug Shipman, president and CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

If that’s the case, the Center’s timing is just about perfect. Construction on the Center, which will be located on the same block as the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, began on March 4.
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Comedy or tragedy? Fulton legislative meeting heralds new era in county politics, government, civic theater

Date: February 7th, 2013, 10:02 pm

The latest act in the civic theater that is Fulton County began Thursday in a crowded room on the fourth floor of Georgia’s Capitol.

Republican lawmakers sat quietly while an hour’s worth of speakers protested Republican proposals to change what has been the natural order of the county – at least, it was the natural order before Republicans took effective control of the county’s legislative delegation this year.

The chorus in this case could do little to relieve tension, but the 75 who gathered certainly helped establish the mood. There were few smiles among the crowd of lawyers and lobbyists, community advocates and union reps, preachers and seniors – many of whom are familiar faces at meetings of the county commission and Atlanta City Council.
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Posted in David Pendered | Tagged Civil Rights Movement, Fulton County, Joe Beasley, Rep. Lynne Riley | 9 Comments

Investment in education vital for Atlanta’s pioneering Hall-Long family

Date: October 1st, 2012, 9:00 am

A thoughtful, private decision can change the course of a family forever.

For the Hall-Long family, known for breaking racial and social barriers in Atlanta, one major decision steered them irrevocably from agricultural roots in Rockdale County to the frontline of civil rights. Their field was education, and their specialty was pioneering.

Annette Lucille Hall, who desegregated Georgia State University, was the first-born of ten. Her closest sister, Rubye, married Ralph Abbott Long. At one point, the Longs and Halls counted 37 family members as teachers in Atlanta Public School System.

“Education is our family business,” said Susan Freeman, a granddaughter of Alonza and Fannie who is principal of McNair High School. “You could not go to a family gathering and not hear about it. You couldn’t escape it. It was innate.”
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