30th Anniversary Salute Exhibit, 1990

This brochure is from the 30th Anniversary Salute to the Atlanta University Civil Right Movement held at the AUC Robert Woodruff Library. The brochure provides a summary of the history of the movement in Atlanta. The brochure described in 1990, Atlanta was on the verge of fulfilling its potential as an international city, solidifying its position as the economic, political, and social capital of the New South. The city's successful bid for the 1996 Olympics is the culmination of efforts made in the past thirty years. These efforts can be directly traced back to March 15, 1960, when Atlanta University Center students began occupying seats at segregated lunch counters in various locations, leading the way for positive changes in the city. The students' innovative protests, such as conducting bus trips to test segregated facilities before the "freedom rides", had a national impact and may have influenced John F. Kennedy's election victory. The Atlanta student movement of the early 1960s played a crucial role in the desegregation of lunch counters and formed an invaluable link between the past and the future. Without their groundbreaking actions, subsequent victories in places like Birmingham and Selma would not have been possible.