Freedom: From Civil War to Civil Rights.

President Abraham Lincoln. November 1863.

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Freedom is a very large and very important concept. Our country is build on it. Our civic and personal identity tied to it. Our physical landscape is both scarred and improved by it. People have fought for it, people have died for it. One thing for sure about freedom, it’s not free. But, it is absolutely worth it.

Joining us in the studio this month are four guests each with their own experience and their own story to tell about freedom and the journey our nation and our world has taken from the Civil War to Civil Rights in pursuit of it.

We’ll start with the Civil War and Gordon Jones, Senior Military Historian with the Atlanta History Center.  Jones shares historical accounts of the American Civil War, the impact the war had on freedom, and a sincere sensibility about the importance of storytelling in relation to history.

Brer Rabbit, Brer Terrapin, and wolf as illustrated for Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus tales.

Lain Shakespeare is the great, great, great grandson of Joel Chandler Harris, a great man in the journey of freedom.  Shakespeare is Board Chairman of The Wren’s Nest, the now historic house museum in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood, where Harris wrote his world famous Uncle Remus tales.  Lain shares stories about the “trickster hero” role (both Brer Rabbit and Harris) in the pursuit of Civil Rights, and a bit about the history of Harris himself.

“If not us, then who?
If not now, then when?”

- John Lewis

Congressman John Lewis has been “Getting into good trouble since 1960″ and the world is a better place for it.  It was a true honor to have Civil Rights icon and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Congressman Lewis, on this month’s show.  Lewis has been a true leader in the pursuit of freedom since he joined the Civil Rights Movement as a 15-year-old.  Lewis was beaten unconscious and nearly to death in Selma, Alabama, spoke at the March on Washington, and joins our host Gene Kansas in the studio this month to speak about being a voice for freedom.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights as designed by the award-winning team of architects at Freelon/HOK.

National Center for Civil and Human Rights CEO Doug Shipman looks toward the future.

A new leader in the quest for freedom is National Center for Civil and Human Rights CEO Doug Shipman.  Charismatic, compassionate and with an eye toward progress, Shipman is poised to help lead us into the future of freedom.  Doug shares an insider’s look into the new Center, now under construction in Atlanta, and how the design of the campus plays a large part in connecting and understanding.  The Center will focus on education, its physical design helping to create a dialogue for people from all over the world.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”- Martin Luther King Jr.

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This show is dedicated to Winston “Bud” Newell, a man who served our country in WWII, an adoring husband, a fabulous father, a giver of great toasts, a lover of jazz, a friend to all, and a gentle and loving uncle.  He will be missed, but his spirit lives on.

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Show #17: Sweet Auburn

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Auburn Avenue was at one time known as Wheat Street.  In 1893, a group of white citizens went to the city council and petitioned to change the name to Auburn because they thought it sounded more sophisticated.  However, it wasn’t the whites who made Auburn Avenue sophisticated, but instead the ambition and entrepreneurial spirit of Atlanta’s diverse African American community that propelled Fortune Magazine to name Sweet Auburn “The richest negro street in the world” in 1957.  With over $200,000,000 in new and proposed development, plus a shiny new streetcar, Auburn Avenue is once again poised for prosperity.

The birth home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 501 Auburn Avenue.

The name “Sweet Auburn” was coined by John Wesley Dobbs, grandfather to Atlanta’s first black mayor, Maynard Jackson.  Dobbs, himself the unofficial “mayor” of Auburn Avenue, helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement and for Auburn’s most notable resident, Martin Luther King, Jr.  Ironically, progress lead, in-part, to the decline of the neighborhood as new found freedom fostered an exodus for exploration outside of this historic district.  On this show, we’ll examine what made Auburn Avenue great, what went wrong, and why it’s all coming back together through rebuilding, re-connecting, and the Atlanta Streetcar.

Photo courtesy of Auburn Avenue Research Library.

While the Auburn Avenue historic district has seen a devastating decline since the 1970′s, there are many people working to preserve the neighborhood’s history and help bring it back to prominence.  The Auburn Avenue Research Library is special in that it is the only library of focus in the Fulton County Library system, and that it has for years collected important documents, artifacts, and images relating to the African American experience. Archivist, Kerrie Cotten Williams joins Gene to talk about the collection, the importance of cataloging culture, and how the library preserves African American history not only for people right here in Atlanta, but for cultures across the globe.

Ryan Gravel, Senior Urban Designer with P+W.

Looking forward, Auburn Avenue plays an important role in Downtown Atlanta and Sweet Auburn’s revitalization due in large part to the Atlanta Streetcar Project.  At one time Atlanta boasted over 300 miles of streetcar tracks, not only providing a mode of transportation, but also connecting our communities.  In the late 1940′s the “car” went the way of the bus.  Well, thanks to $47,000,000 in federal funding, the streetcar is back and it’s being built as we “talk” with an east-west route that rides right down Auburn Avenue.  Here to traverse the future of transit in Atlanta, and specifically the streetcar, is Ryan Gravel, Senior Urban Designer with Perkins+Will.  Gravel, who had the original (and may we say very bright) idea of the Atlanta Beltline, is the type of person who really sees the big picture, and we’re happy he could join Gene in the studio to talk about the positive implications the streetcar’s promise has on our city.

Duke Ellington and his band. Photo by Michael Ricci.

Back in the day, Sweet Auburn was not only home to seriously successful entrepreneurs, including Alonzo Herndon, Atlanta’s first black millionaire, but it also hosted the hottest acts that showbiz had to offer.  The likes of Duke Ellington, Sam Cooke, Gladys Knight, and Little Richard all graced clubs like The Royal Peacock.  Auburn was literally booming, but as the residential population dwindled so went the retail, restaurants and nightlife.  Fortunately, the culture, character and history remained.  Blight and the subsequent endangerment of those assets prompted local civic leaders to get involved to protect their homes and their heritage.  As the Chairwoman of the Historic District Development Corporation, Mtaminika Youngblood continues to work toward the preservation of the Sweet Auburn area, representing the interests of the neighborhood and the community at large.  Mtaminika’s connection to Auburn Avenue, along with her story of restoration and preservation of her family’s home, adds a personal touch to a show that is rich with history.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake. Photo by Leigh Beisch.

One of the sweeter stories of success along Auburn Avenue comes the way of the Sweet Auburn Bread Company, owned by chef Sonya Jones.  Praised for her cakes and pastries, Chef Sonya opened shop and her doors to the community in 1997. One of her more notable moments was when she served then President Bill Clinton her famous sweet potato cheesecake (of her own creation!) during his visit to the historic district.  Her ambition and tasty treats keep customers happy and deliciously contributes to the fabric of her community.

Mixed-Use Developments such as Renaissance Walk point to the bright future of Auburn Avenue.

As we watch Atlanta grow, we cannot forget the history of our iconic neighborhoods.  No other area of our city embodies the triumphs of African Americans like Sweet Auburn, and no other area is carrying the banner of Atlanta’s immediate developmental future quite like this neighborhood.  We predict with pleasure that Auburn Avenue will continue to contribute as much to Atlanta’s positive growth and culture in the future as it has in our storied and precious past.  As we celebrate Black History month, let us look to the future, but remember and honor those who helped bring us this far.