Media Alert
50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE ATLANTA STUDENT MOVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS HISTORIC VALUE OF 'AN APPEAL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS'
ATLANTA (March 10, 2010) Atlanta, GA., March 10, 2010 – “We, the students of the six affiliated institutions forming the Atlanta University Center -- Clark, Morehouse, Morris Brown and Spelman Colleges, Atlanta University and the Interdenominational Theological Center – here joined our hearts, minds, and bodies in the cause of gaining those rights which are inherently ours as members of the human race and as citizens of these United States.”
(p>It was these opening words presented as “An Appeal for Human Rights” and published as a full-page advertisement in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on March 9, 1960, that forced the City of Atlanta to take stock of its less than civil practices 5o years ago.
On Monday, March 15, at 10:00 a.m., the Atlanta Student Movement Committee will officially kick-off a week-long celebration commemorating its 50th anniversary at a press conference on the steps of Trevor Arnett Hall on the campus of Clark Atlanta University – the original location of the student’s first public announcement of the movement that changed Atlanta.
“Fifty years ago, students from the Atlanta University Center began a movement for human rights, stranding up against unjust laws and segregation and risking their lives on the picket lines and in the jails of Atlanta,” said Judge Brenda H. Cole, Fulton County State Court and Co-chair of the Atlanta Student Movement Committee. “We demanded not only the right to sit at lunch counters but to receive the rights owed to every citizen in the country. The Atlanta Student Movement changed the face of Atlanta.”
Judge Cole will be joined by fellow co-chairs Johnny E. Parham, an original member of the Committee on the Appeal for Human Rights, noted civil rights activist Lonnie C. King, Chair of the Committee on the Appeal for Human Rights, and Ambassador Andy Young.
Later that same day, original members of the Atlanta Student Movement and supporters will be honored at the opening of “Voices Across the Color Line: The Atlanta Student Movement 50th Anniversary,” an exhibition at the Atlanta History Center. Through photographs, documents, videos, and contemporary oral history interviews with Atlanta student leaders, “Voices Across the Color Line” commemorates the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Atlanta Student Movement. The exhibit runs through September 25, and is free and open to the public.
“As we reflect with pride in what was accomplished, our hearts and minds are filled with how much is left to be done, “ said Lonnie C. King. “The most urgent issue is the effective education of minority and low-income students that has eluded the many good faith attempts to improve educational outcomes, “ “This look back is to remember what is possible if people can work together on a solution for today.”
A full schedule of events is available at www.atlantastudentmovement.org.
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Spelman College:
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts a 79 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 12:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman. For more
information, visit: www.spelman.edu.
