This week marks the 55th anniversary of the desegregation of Atlanta schools.

Nine black students were selected via a process to be the first to go to four all-white Atlanta schools. Through no riots and boycotts took place and the students attended without incident, their lives were not easy, as Atlanta Journal-Constitution blogger Maureen Downey reminds us.

The AJC also has gathered some memorable photos from that period and you can see them here.

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A man puts his head in his hands during an Atlanta school board meeting in Atlanta on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. APS held its final vote on school consolidation plans, approving several school closures. (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Atlanta firefighters, crash on Piedmont Avenue at Monroe Drive

Credit: Ben Hendren