Launched in January 2009, the Peoplestown Project is devoted to studying and interpreting community-based movements and organizations in the Peoplestown neighborhood (central Atlanta). The project collects oral histories and historical manuscripts, develops interpretive programs, and facilitates local examination and interpretation of place and grassroots community organizing.
Then, for maybe two or three Saturdays, I would stand out on the street and anyone who would walk by, I’d say, “Would you help me paint this wall? You can have this square.” All the squares were already painted, [but] I said, “what color square would you like to have?” They’d say, “Oh I like the blue one.” And I’d say, “Well, what color would you like your hand?” Read more
The Peoplestown Project website features the photography of Atlanta journalist Boyd Lewis in its banner. The photos shown here — of Peoplestown, its activists, and the neighborhood’s families — were taken while Lewis worked for the black newspapers, The Atlanta Voice and the Atlanta Inquirer in the 1960s and 1970s. Read more
In August 1973, three Peoplestown children drowned while swimming off the coast of Mississippi. Eva Spratling, Jimmy Spratling, and Teresa Williams had been on a trip to New Orleans with Emmaus House to observe the court proceedings related to one of the many school desegregation cases of the period. Read more
Antonio Roberts wrote and directed this archetypal story about seemingly weak actors (in this case, summer campers) defeating an oppressive regime (in this case, summer camp instructors). Read more
In Emmaus House Arts Camp, Tameesha Pate and Kierra Peterson reflect back on their summer at the Emmaus House Middle Grades Community Arts Camp. Read more
Some of them just relocated. Some of them moved, where I don’t know. There were a lot of elderly people back then so lot of them just passed on and their family just went their way. They basically took people’s houses. I’m just being honest with you. Read more
See I don’t know what Father gets me into, get me into something. And he the one got me into that running for the [Atlanta] School Board. I was sitting here tending to my own business, the phone rang, he on the other end and says, “Margaret.” I said, “Father, yes, what do you want?” Because I know there’s something up. He said, “Oh, don’t you want to run for the school board?” I said, “Do what?” He said, “Don’t you want to run for the school board?” I said, “Not necessarily.” Read more
I think in the beginning [Father Austin Ford] said, “you’re gonna work on this and this and this, but then if you have other free time, develop your own program. Figure out something to do for the community.” I became a self starter. That didn’t work for a lot of people, but for me it was a great opportunity. So an early example of that was with the kids—let’s figure out how to get a better playground. Read more
