Our Truth + Transformation program envisions a future where marginalized communities understand their histories and leverage their strengths to transform their futures. We work to uncover Atlanta’s suppressed legacy of racial terror, forced labor, and systemic racism and engage those most affected, laying the groundwork for effective community mobilization.
The contemporary relevance of our painful past is especially apparent in the American South. Our location in Atlanta offers a rich opportunity to confront Georgia’s particular history of incarceration and suppression. We aim to build a nuanced understanding of systematic disenfranchisement, centering individual narratives (historic and current) to spark social change by fostering empathy, understanding, and solidarity.
Our community-led process is our most powerful outcome. While our work may at times result in tangible deliverables (i.e. murals, memorials, resources), our aim is community education, engagement, and mobilization. We position ourselves as conveners rather than experts, uplifting the myriad of well-deserving individuals and efforts along the way.
Atlanta’s story is not complete without acknowledging the rich yet often overlooked history of forced labor and convict leasing practices, especially in the post-Civil War era. We are working with others to commemorate those not recognized for their contributions to this city through community engagement initiatives, memorials, and murals.
As part of our efforts to memorialize the forced labor that built Atlanta’s Bellwood Quarry, we’re hosting community engagement initiatives (including tours of the park, educational sessions, and an AR experience) that allow the public to collectively envision the kind of memorial they want to see.
The Westside of Atlanta, with its rich history of African American culture and civil rights, provides a meaningful backdrop for a piece that ties together past and present struggles for justice and equality.
The Chattahoochee Brick Company, where many were subjected to harsh conditions and exploitation, stands as a poignant symbol of convict leasing. We are collaborating with the city of Atlanta to preserve the site as a tribute to the victims of this dark chapter in history.
In the period after the Civil War known as the Jim Crow Era, efforts to enforce racial hierarchies in America took on new forms of violence. We work to bring awareness to the history of racial terror in the city coined “too busy to hate” via storytelling, public events, and educational resources.
Over four days in 1906, at least 25 African Americans were killed and hundreds more were injured in Georgia’s largest outbreak of racial violence. We worked to uncover this hidden history and hosted several commemorative events in collaboration with community organizations and institutions across the city.
In collaboration with our educational team at the Center, we developed learning resources and a lesson plan for educators around the 1906 Race Massacre.
We are working on a mural to serve as a poignant reminder of racial violence, historical trauma, and the need for social justice, honoring the victims and raising awareness about the racial terror African Americans were subjected to during the Reconstruction Era.
The Truth-Telling Fellowship supports truth-telling, memorialization, and community healing efforts in Georgia around forced labor, convict leasing, and criminal justice. Fellows receive $1,000 – $2,500 Microgrants and guidance to develop community-centered memorials, public events, and educational initiatives.
ELIGIBILITY
HOW TO APPLY
The fellowship application deadline is closed.
We are creating a single centralized platform for practitioners and experts to compile resources, share insights, identify best practices, and develop collaborative approaches for:
Words can have a profound impact on our understanding of hidden or erased history. Check out our glossary to learn more key terms, dates and individuals related to forced labor, both in Atlanta and the United States.
We embarked on a successful effort to change the name of the violence that happened in 1906 when a white mob of 10,000 killed over two dozen African Americans in a four-day rampage. This acknowledged that the attack was a massacre, not a riot – an attack on the African American community, not by it.
We are currently working with experts and students at Morehouse and Georgia State University to delve further into these topics and hope to publish their findings soon!
Douglas A. Blackmon
Douglas A. Blackmon, author of Slavery by Another Name: The ReEnslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, is helping us identify, cross-reference, and document the stories of those who labored at Bellwood Quarry and the Chattahoochee Brick Company. We are developing an historical analysis of the connections between convict labor practices beginning during the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era, the suppression of African-American civil and legal rights, and criminal justice issues today.
Dr. Clarissa Myrick-Harris
Morehouse Professor of Africana Studies, Dr. Clarissa Myrick Harris, is helping us conduct research on the historical context and impact of racial terror and convict labor in America. She assisted with the creation of the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre curricula, and she has most recently been helping us launch the Memorialization and Mobilization Resource Hub and initiate collaborations with Morehouse students.
In partnership with WABE, we created a documentary to tell the untold story of the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre. Called “(re)Defining History” and hosted by noted Atlanta historian Dr. Maurice Hobson, it explores the truth behind the massacre, what led to the violence, and how it spawned resilience in Atlanta’s Black communities.
In August, we convened the 2024 National Summit of Transformative Memorialization — called “Unturning the Stones” — to address how communities can honor America’s neglected history of forced labor and racial injustice in ways that transform our society. The Summit provided a platform for practitioners, experts, government officials, and community members to share insights, identify best practices, and develop collaborative approaches in this important work. Through workshops and panel discussions, participants explored innovative ways to commemorate past injustices and inspire transformative actions.
PANEL SESSIONS
“At the heart of truth-telling and remembrance work is the power of community. The National Summit of Transformative Memorialization is a space of connection, reflection, and purposeful action as we confront our shared history and commit to lasting change.” – Darrin Sims, Director of Truth + Transformation Initiative
