THE IMPACT
THE PROGRESS
1963 Civil Rights Testimony
On July 26, 1963, the mayor of Atlanta, Ivan Allen Jr., stood before Congres testifying in favor of desegregation of public accommodations. This stance on public accommodations became the focal point of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
THE COLLECTION
Across the exhibited letters, I found there to be interesting commonalities in the way many people stated or described their
appreciation to the mayor’s actions. While there were letters plainly congratulating the mayor, many others commented on how courageous
he was to act in favor of the bill, especially when regarding the
historical trends of the backlash he was susceptible to receive.
One letter seems to go one step further and attempt to ease the mayor’s mind. The writer describes herself as a Northerner, who lives in the South for what is now six years, and found that “many kind, reasonable and realistic people” live among “the other kind” of Southerners still favoring segregation. With respect to the period of time that these letters were sent, it is still interesting to see how many individuals hold on to a seemingly apparent level of fear or caution when talking about, or gauging a solution to this form of societal racism. When looking over how individuals depicted their appreciation, these factors seemed to only enhance the sentiments towards the mayor’s actions and bolster his own political image.
Aside from the congratulatory manner of the letters, it seems the mayor’s testimony also acted as an important point of reaffirmation for many of the writers about the culture of Atlanta, and its continued advancement in the forefront of Civil Rights. The correspondents depicted Atlanta as the cultural capital of the South, with growth rivaling Northern cities in terms of both racial and economic advancement.
Exemplified in one clipping, the Saturday Evening Post described “the culture craze that hit Atlanta” and its interconnections with the corresponding business boom. It relayed how the late boom proved advantageous for steady metropolitan progress, instigating development across Georgia as a whole.
This viewpoint appears in another letter, where the writer believes the Mayor of Atlanta’s action will “encourage many white Southerners that segregation
is going peacefully” and allow for the needs and
challenges of this time to be met.
Overall, the appreciatory responses Mayor Allen received invigorated the U.S. populace with the prospect of societal change. In terms of Atlanta, this served to advance the massive culture craze, provoking economic growth alongside a hopeful group of minorities, feeling they finally have a voice in their country.
