Several local organizations are holding a variety of events beginning this weekend to commemorate the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre, one of the largest outbreaks of racial violence in Georgia.
The events are sponsored by the Southern Truth and Reconciliation (STAR), the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Fulton County Remembrance Coalition and the Coalition to Remember the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre. All events are free and open to the public.
Andrew Sheldon is a retired trial consultant who worked on several cold-case prosecutions of hate crimes committed during the civil rights era. He helped found the Southern Truth and Reconciliation. Remembering the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre (once called a “riot”) is necessary to continue healing in the city, he said.
“The underlying agenda is to bring the city forward in terms of race relations, to improve the existing racial issues that are still with us because of what we call intergenerational trauma,” he said.
“Things changed from 1906 to today, for sure. But do they need to keep going? Yes, absolutely they do,” he said.
The massacre
Between Sept. 22-26, 1906, at least 25 Black men, women and children were killed and hundreds more injured after more than 10,000 white people flooded Downtown Atlanta and into Brownsville, a Black neighborhood in South Atlanta, angered by alleged stories of Black men attacking white women published in local newspapers.
The violence was also sparked by a heated political gubernatorial campaign between candidates Hoke Smith, former publisher of the Atlanta Journal, and Clark Howell, editor of the Atlanta Constitution. The two stoked the fears and resentment of white people at a time when Black people gained more voting rights and business success.
The events to commemorate the 118 anniversary of the race massacre:
Saturday, Sept. 21
Brownsville Homecoming, Saturday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 9 Gammon Ave. SE. The event includes a walking tour of the community from 10 a.m. to noon followed by a fish fry.
Also on Saturday, Sept. 21, there will be a Theatrical Tour of 1906 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at South-View Cemetery, 1990 Jonesboro Road, S.E. During the tour, actors stationed at various gravesites will portray people who made a difference during the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre.
Sunday, Sept. 22
The Praise House Project, a public art installation and immersive digital experience by artist Charmaine Minniefield, will be on display on Sunday, Sept. 22, at South-View Cemetery. The project was first presented at Oakland Cemetery in 2021 by Minniefield, with the support of Flux Projects and in cooperation with Emory University. The Praise House moved to Emory’s campus for a short time in 2023 and then to Decatur in 2024 to honor the African American history of Beacon Hill.
Interfaith Bell Ringing, Sept. 22, 1 p.m. at and various places of worship. At the same time, there will also be a memorial ceremony at the APEX Museum, 135 Auburn Ave.
Equitable Dinners, Sept. 22, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Drew Charter School
Tuesday, Sept. 24
Equitable Dinners, Sept. 24, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at East Point City Hall, 2757 E. Point St., East Point, GA 30344
Thursday, Sept. 26
Law and Order Symposium, Sept. 26, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Emory University School of Law, 1301 Clifton Road N.E. The symposium’s theme is about failures in law and order and other systems that give rise to racial violence seen over the years in and around Atlanta, Sheldon said. Specifically, the program will discuss ho no one was prosecuted in the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, the forced labor at the Chattahoochee Brick Company, and the killing of Kathryn Johnston by Atlanta Police in 2006. The final discussion will be about successes made in the justice system.
Sunday, Sept. 29
Friends of Fountain Hall Fall Festival, Sept. 29, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Morris Brown College, 643 MLK Jr. Drive.