The Committee on the Appeal for Human Rights, more commonly referred to as the Atlanta Student Movement, thrust Atlanta, Georgia, into the heart of the American Civil Rights Movement with its inception in 1960. Though organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) drew more attention and were often inaccurately credited for some key efforts, the Atlanta Student Movement was a pivotal part of the fight for desegregation and the emotional and legal battles that led to change and progress during the era.

  

On display at the AUC Woodruff Library from October 15, 2015 to March 31, 2016,  Start Something: Activism and The Atlanta Student Movement documents how students from Atlanta University, Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University), the Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College and Spelman College strategized and collaborated to stage protests in the 1960s. Inspired by sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee, students of the Atlanta University Center institutions were moved to take action and join the fight for equality burgeoning across the nation, particularly in the southern states.

  

Archival photographs, original documents and engaging narratives chronicle the history of desegregation in America, the initial call to action by students, including Lonnie King, Julian Bond and Joseph Pierce, and the challenges and triumphs faced by students and their supporters throughout the 1960s. An outline of modern student activism via the #BlackLivesMatter, #ItsBiggerThanYou and #AUCShutItDown movements offer a timely link between the historical focus of the exhibit and the ongoing fight for justice.

  

The exhibit also recognizes the 1960 founding of The Atlanta Inquir er newspaper. Students like Bond, Charlayne Hunter and Johnny Parham wrote for the publication,    which also featured editorial cartoons by Maurice Pennington. True to its mission, The Atlanta Inquirer continues to be a voice for the African American community today.

  

"As the Atlanta University Center and its member institutions continue to thrive and evolve, it's important to commemorate and examine the people and events of the past that have informed our current circumstances," said Loretta Parham, CEO and director of the AUC Woodruff Library. "We are pleased to be a part of telling that story and ensuring that the legacy of these men and women lives on."

  

Start Something would not be possible without the cooperation of the Atlanta Student Movement alumni and their families as well as the generous support of donors. Many of the photographs and documents showcased in the exhibit were already housed in the Library's Archives Research Center, but others were donated by individuals or institutions. Exhibit sponsors include: Atlanta Student Movement Alumni, AUC Woodruff Library, Georgia Humanities Council and The Rich Foundation, Inc.

  

For more information about the exhibit, click here or call 404.978.2003.

Earlier this year, the AUC Woodruff Library received funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through the HBCU Preservation Project Grant - Round III to preserve and provide access to audio and visual collections with significant research value to humanities scholarship. The audio recordings in the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) Collection and the Vivian W. Henderson Papers were identified as priorities for digitization in a previous survey of audio and visual media materials within the Archives Research Center.

 

The ITC Audio Recordings Collection is comprised of 61 reel-to-reels documenting sermons, lectures and events spanning the years from 1943 to 1969. The recordings from this collection provide insight on the role of the church in the community and illuminate ITC's development and expansion as an educational institution. Among the featured speakers are prominent ITC administrators and faculty, including Drs. Harry V. Richardson and Charles Copher. Researchers will hear presentations on a myriad of topics, including Russian visitors discussing the lack of religious freedom in their country and obstacles they faced while trying to educate theology students in their respective seminaries, as well as calls for religious leaders to take a stand against violence surrounding their churches and communities during times of racial division and political uproar. Listen to the ITC recordings online through the Library's e-Scholarship Repository at http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/itcaudio/ .

Audio recordings from the Vivian W. Henderson Papers consist of speeches, panel discussions and special events at Clark College primarily given in the 1960s. Dr. Henderson, a nationally recognized and distinguished economist, served until his untimely death as the 18th president of Clark College between 1965 and 1979. A member of several U.S. Presidential Commissions

Dr. Vivian W. Henderson, Past President, Clark College

and Taskforces, Henderson was asked to address white audiences on the subject of economic impact and race relations. In his speeches, Dr. Henderson also presented on topics including African-American education, inner city neighborhoods and the impact of technology on employment all through an economic lens. Twelve recordings from the Henderson Papers are available online at http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/hendav/ .