The New Year starts with honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Programming for the holiday is expansive with volunteer, cultural, and historical opportunities to celebrate his life and legacy in the city where he is most intimately known. A few weeks later Black History Month also known as American History kicks off with more events and opportunities to educate ourselves on a history that is often unknown and constantly being discovered and rediscovered. Dr. La'Neice Littleton an alum of CAU and the Director of Community Collaborations at the Atlanta History Center joins us to discuss how the Atlanta History Center will engage with the community around these events. Dr. Littleton welcome back to The Local Take.
Dr. Littleton explains that the Atlanta History Center has programming on Saturday, January 18th for community members to join the activities planned for all ages. The theme this year is “She Will Not Be Moved” and focuses on the Women of the Movement. It includes a collection of hats from women in the King family. There is also information on the Atlanta Washer Women’s Strike that took place in 1881. Proving that women have not only been part of the movement but in some cases led the movement.
The day’s events include a conversation between Morehouse College’s Dr. Vickie Crawford and Senior Georgia State Court Judge Brenda Cole. Judge Cole will share her personal experience in the Atlanta Student Movement and discuss the role of women in the Civil Rights Movement.
During this time when teaching history is considered a crime in some states, I asked Dr. Littleton why it is important to collect and rediscover stories from our past. She speaks to the African concept of Sankofa and that there are multiple sides to every story. For our community from a generational perspective, our history in the United States wasn’t that long ago.
Of course soon after we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend, February begins Black History Month, and Dr. Littleton speaks to the work of Dr. Carter G. Woodson who created the first “Negro History Week,” which has expanded into a cultural phenomenon. Black History Month is known all over the world what began as Negro History Week in 1926 will soon celebrate 100 years. She also speaks about Dr. Woodson’s seminal work The Mis-Education of the Negro encourages us to seek out our history. Our history is everywhere and in the historical continuum, the Harlem Renaissance was two generations ago. She encourages us to collect our own family stories. Littleton speaks about a series of genealogy workshops being held at the Atlanta History Center Kenan Research to assist families, organizations, and communities to collect and preserve their history.
Dr. Littleton directs us to their website to learn about some of the Black History Programming including an Author Talk from Dr. Daniel Black about his new book Isaac’s Song.
To register for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. January 18th Programming