City Partners with National Center for Civil and Human Rights to Launch Community Engagement for Former Chattahoochee Brick Co. Site
Wednesday, February 28th, 2024
The City of Atlanta announced community involvement plans for the former Chattahoochee Brick Company site in collaboration with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR). This joint effort will foster discussions and awareness about the history of the property in Northwest Atlanta, and goals for its redevelopment.
The first phase of involvement begins with a series of informative seminars on the background of the site and its influence on the city. Attendees will also learn about long-term plans for community engagement. Monthly seminars will take place February through June at The Carter Presidential Center.
Seminar I: Project Update & Talk about the Importance of Memorialization
Date: February 17, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Seminar II: Before Atlanta: Native Peoples, the Piedmont Region, and the Chattahoochee River
Date: March 16, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Seminar III: When the Way Wasn’t Clear: African Americans Before and After the War
Date: April 20, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Seminar IV: Nineteenth-Century Industry, Labor, and Environmental Degradation
Date: May 11, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Seminar V: Brick by Brick: Building Atlanta, Criminal Justice, and Race
Date: June 15, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Historical Context: Convict Leasing in Atlanta
Convict leasing was established across the south in the post-Civil War period, lasting until 1909 in Georgia. Southern states arrested thousands of Black Americans for minor offenses and leased these prisoners to private white-owned industry, in which the prisoners were subject to brutal, often deadly conditions. Atlanta industries relied heavily on convict leasing to supply materials to rebuild the city after the Civil War, the Chattahoochee Brick Company being a prominent example.
For more details on the seminar series and information on the Chattahoochee Brick Company site, please visit:https://www.atlcitydesign.com/chattahoochee-brick and https://www.civilandhumanrights.org/truth-and-transformation-initiative/
