Civil Rights History
Atlanta was at the center of one America’s most formative periods—the civil rights movement. The birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta was a pivotal player in the fight for equality and continues to be a leader in the quest for social justice through the work of its churches, social institutions, businesses, nonprofit organizationsand colleges.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), one of the most important organizations of the civil rights movement, has always been based in Atlanta. Today, this group continues to fight for human rights and justice on many fronts with Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., recently elected to lead the organization her father helped found.
Emory continues to pay homage to and learn from this period in history by virtue of its role as repository for the documents chronicling the slave trade from Africa to North America, the papers and records of the SCLCand other archives that document the struggle of African Americans for equality and access.
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Doug Shipman
95 Emory
Center for Civil and Human Rights
Atlanta, Georgia
Double Major: Economics and Political Science
“Civil rights is the core of modern Atlanta. Atlanta served as the headquarters for the movement because of the combination of students, organizations headquartered here, a thriving African American community, key individuals who were from Atlanta, and cross-community relationships. In many ways the world sees Atlanta as the home of civil rights and continues to look to the city for leadership on contemporary issues of rights and freedoms.
“Almost every major initiative in Atlanta has many Emory alumni working on the effort. This project appeals to the sense of service and community engagement so many Emory alums feel during their time on campus and beyond.”