A team of reporters from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has been working for weeks to bring readers the best coverage of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and its many Georgia connections.
From talking to Rep. John Lewis, the Georgia congressman who is the only speaker from that historic event still living, to the reverberations of that movement that still rattle our consciousness, such as in the current negotiations over land for a new Falcons stadium, our reporters have been there or are going there.
Subscribers can still read the story published Aug. 13 of how Lewis and an aide penned a 128-page comic book recounting his role and the early days of the civil rights movement leading up to the March. It can be found online at http://bit.ly/13VPP2G.
Coming newspapers will tell Georgians’ stories and the effect that event had on them and their towns. They include:
- Sunday — A look at the economic repercussions then and now on Atlanta, which has been a mecca for successful African-Americans. And a personal look at Ken Sprague, a white Marietta schoolteacher who attended the March on not much more than an adventurous whim, but whose life changed dramatically. Reporters will also bring you eyewitness memories from Georgians who were there, from Freedom Singer Rutha Mae Harris to others among the 200,000-plus who made the trip.
- Aug. 24 — We look at Lewis' role as a civil rights icon and his record as a congressman as he prepares to speak on the day of the event marking the anniversary of the March. Also, we will talk to Georgians who are there for the event.
- Aug. 28 — We recount the story of racial politics and Atlanta development, from the city's rise as the South's big-league sports center to the current negotiations over land for a new stadium.
Later, writers will take a look at the effects of the Voting Rights Acts on Georgia politics. From county commissions and school boards to our representatives in Congress, what differences the act has made on whether the skin tones that look back at us from halls of power reflect who we are as communities.
