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 #13: Little Five Points

The Vortex. The burgers are scary good.

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Growing up as a retail pocket to serve Inman Park and Candler Park in the early 1900′s, L5P as it is affectionally known, developed organically.  This type of development meant that the area was not planned, per se, but grew out of need and desire.  That original desire was not the alternative lifestyle we see today, but it always had a vibe.  In the 1960′s its vibe dwindled into deplorable conditions when white flight and local politics reared their ugly heads.  However, local politics was also one of the reasons that the neighborhood bounced back in the mid 1970′s.  That, along with lots of blood, sweat, tears and beers, plus a healthy dose of rock music and elbow grease, brought Little Five Points back to life.

Early days in Little Five Points. Circa 1960.

Little Five Points got its name from the five streets that intersect at the center of the neighborhood, but got its reputation from a sub culture of urban pioneers who are among Atlanta’s most funky, creative, colorful and cool.  In this episode of Sidewalk Radio, our host Gene Kansas explores the art, music, mayhem and culture of this alternative enclave that includes Elvis shrines and disco nights (Star Bar), record stores (Criminal Records, Wax’n'Facts), raucous retail (Junkman’s Daughter), thrift havens (Stefan’s), booze (Euclid Avenue Yacht Club), books (A Cappella), bands (Variety Playhouse), co-op’s (Sevananda), coffee (Aurora), and pimento cheese burgers (The Vortex) to die for, all available within a few block radius, and in Atlanta that makes it one of the truest novelties of it all.

Junkman’s Daughter is a potpourri of pop culture and one of L5P’s most visited “sights”.

Maneul Cadrecha.

Joining Gene in the studio this month to discuss some of the history and architecture of Little Five Points and how alternative enclaves develop in cities all over the world, plus share his design expertise, and impart personal and professional insights about the cultural aspects of the area is Perkins+Will Principal and their Atlanta Design Director, Manuel Cadrecha.

Also lending an artful conversation to this month’s show is one of Atlanta’s favorite local artists, if not one of our most colorful and visible, Ronnie Land.  ”R. Land”, as his signature reads, creates a cast of characters through his art that embody Atlanta and goes hand-in-hand with the counter culture on display in Little Five.

“Fine day for fishin’” offers an homage to street artist HENCE while characterizing a Joel Chandler Harris moment enjoyed by one of Land’s sub culture characters.

Eric Levin is the founder and owner of Criminal Records, the owner of cult and neighborhood favorite Aurora Coffee, and is one of the early pioneers who has grown up in business and in the neighborhood, but he is more than that.  Levin joins Gene in the studio representing scores of local residents and business mainstays in his love for the ‘hood and why it’s an important place to cultivate and sustain.

Criminal Records is home to vinyl, vivaciousness, and a fan base that vibes on all things Little Five.

So, get on your green wigs, grab your PBR, load up your Yacht Dog and get ready for a thrill ride through a place that is culturally unique to our city, Little Five Points.  Enjoy.