Art On BeltLine To Exhibit Civil Rights Photography Collection

By Ellie Ritter 

From July 7 through Dec. 1, “Art on the Atlanta BeltLine” will host a photography exhibition entitled “Atlanta and the Civil Rights Movement, 1944-1968, ” curated by historian and author Karcheik Sims-Alvarado.

Sims-Alvarado is the CEO of Preserve Black Atlanta, a nonprofit dedicated to identifying, recording, and preserving African-American history and culture, according to a press release from Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.

The photography comes from Sims-Alvarado’s book “Images of America: Atlanta and the Civil Rights Movement, 1944-1968.” The book presents a photographic history of the modern civil rights movement in Atlanta, featuring photographs largely taken by award-winning Associated Press photojournalists.

“The photographs tell a beautiful narrative of the struggle, fortitude, and organizational strength of a people determined to eradicate Jim Crow segregation once and for all,” Sims-Alvarado said.

The exhibition will be presented across four miles of the Eastside and Westside Trails, making it the longest outdoor exhibition on civil and human rights in the United States, the release said.

“Honoring the nation’s civil rights leadership right here on the Atlanta BeltLine is so fitting considering that many of the movement’s leaders lived in BeltLine neighborhoods,” Brian P. McGowan, president and CEO of the Atlanta Beltline, Inc., said. “We are committed to using our public art program to celebrate and highlight the history and unique culture of our neighborhoods – it is this culture that makes Atlanta great.”

An opening ceremony for the exhibition will take place at 3 p.m. on July 7 on the Westside Trail across from Gordon White Park.

This article was originally published at AtlantaLoop.com.