The Atlanta History Center will present a thought-provoking day of programming for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 16.
In recent years, the Atlanta History Center has offered free admission for the MLK holiday, drawing more than 1,800 to its Buckhead campus in 2016. For the 2017 observance, the institution is organizing a slate of free programs in Buckhead and at Midtown’s Margaret Mitchell House intended to engage the growing MLK Day audience on subjects from Civil War slavery to civil rights movement-sparked integration.
The Atlanta History Center and Margaret Mitchell House will be open 10 AM to 5:30 PM on this free admission day.
PROGRAMMING AT ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER
130 W. Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta
Featured Speaker: Frye Gaillard, "Go South to Freedom" at 3:00 pm
Go South to Freedom is an “as told to” slavery story for middle-schoolers, with a strong Georgia connection, written by award-winning Alabama author Frye Gaillard. The account of a daring escape to freedom by the Fields family was shared with Gaillard by the direct descendent of the family whose story he tells.
In April, Frye Gaillard was honored with the Eugene Current-Garcia Distinguished Scholar Award, recognizing “scholarly reflection and writing on literary topics,” at the Alabama Writers Symposium. His previous honors include the Lillian Smith Award, the Clarence Cason Award, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year Award.
In addition to the featured speaker, other activities include Museum Theatre Experiences (including a Freedom Ride Simulation), Film Screenings and additional activities such as create inspiring resistance poetry. Please visit the AHC website for the full schedule.
PROGRAMMING AT MARGARET MITCHELL HOUSE
979 Crescent Ave NE, Atlanta
Featured Speaker: Calinda Lee, "The Time is Always Right to Do the Right Thing: Lessons from Drum Majors for Justice" at 12:00pm
Atlanta History Center historian Calinda Lee presents a talk about the remarkable, brave Georgians who helped form the ethos of equality and non-violence that shaped the young Martin Luther King Jr., as well as those took up his mantle to press for justice and equity after his death.
Calinda Lee trained at Spelman College, New York University, and Emory University (where she received a Ph.D. in American Studies), and writes, lectures, and develops exhibitions on U.S. history and culture, with an emphasis on the South. The Atlanta History Center historian curated Gatheround: Stories of Atlanta, the new cornerstone exhibition at the AHC’s Buckhead campus.
Atlanta barber-turned-insurance-magnate Alonzo Herndon (portrayed by Morris Hill in a Meet the Past museum theatre performance) appears in the Atlanta History Center exhibition "Gatheround: Stories of Atlanta." The exhibition, which includes information, artifacts and performances relating to the civil rights movement, is a main attraction during a thought-provoking day of free History Center programming on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. CONTRIBUTED BY ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day sponsor: Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of Fulton County Arts Council.
ABOUT THE ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER:
Founded in 1926, the Atlanta History Center is an all-inclusive, 33-acre destination featuring the Atlanta History Museum, one of the nation’s largest history museums; three historic houses (the 1928 Swan House, the 1860 Smith Family Farm, and the frontier-era Wood Family Cabin; Kenan Research Center; the Grand Overlook event space; the Atlanta History Center bookstore (sharing space with a Souper Jenny café); and Goizueta Gardens. In addition, the History Center operates the Margaret Mitchell House located in Midtown Atlanta.
For information on Atlanta History Center offerings, hours of operation and admission, call 404.814.4000 or visit AtlantaHistoryCenter.com. You can also visit the Facebook Page HERE.
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