Black History Month

Learn about black history and the story of the civil rights movement in Atlanta, the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr. Join The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as we take a look at some of the most prominent individuals, events and stories that have impacted America, over the course of Black History Month.

His dream led to an aviation career. He’s still inspiring Black kids to fly.

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Growing up with racism and breaking the cycle

Former CDC employee reflects on gains made through now-shuttered DEI programs

Art Shell: NFL’s first modern Black head coach — and what came after

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For Walter White, the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre sparked a reckoning within

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When Georgia tried to silence Julian Bond

Mozel Spriggs, 100, visits with guests at her Atlanta home on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. Spriggs is featured in the Dance Theatre of Harlem documentary “The LAMP Project.” (Ben Gray for the AJC)

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At 100, Mozel Spriggs’ life tells the story of Black dance in Atlanta

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From Auburn Avenue to the world: 100 moments in Black Atlanta history

Black history is living, shaped continuously by the places where Black people have built power, culture and community. Few cities embody that truth more clearly than Atlanta.

Wanda Sims Watters stands near where her childhood home was at 205 Elizabeth Street in Decatur on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. The once thriving Black neighborhood was destroyed in waves from the 1940s-1970s through eminent domain for government housing, facilities and “urban renewal.” (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Metro Atlanta governments take up reparations amid national challenges

Atlanta's and Decatur’s reparations committees are far from issuing recommendations for specific actions their cities should take.

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Black history at 100: Five years that changed Atlanta

In 100 years of Black history commemoration, there are five consequential years when Atlanta’s Black history shifted course and left lasting marks on the city and the nation.

Essential history of Neighborhood Arts Center, a space to celebrate Black creativity

The Neighborhood Arts Center opened in May 1975. Actors Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Nunn, author Toni Cade Bambara, visual artist Tina Dunkley were artists-in-residence.

The Poitier family of north Atlanta

A series of racist experiences in the Southeast, made Sidney Poitier avoid Atlanta. Love and a cluster of family, who made the metro Atlanta their, home kept him coming back.

How Atlanta Life Insurance Co. created the Black middle class

The reverends were looking for a messiah....

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Her name was Marion King. Her story still matters.Her name was Marion King. Her story still matters.Her name was Marion King. Her story still matters.Her name was Marion King. Her story still matters.Her name was Marion King. Her story still matters.

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Atlanta & Georgia

Homegoing: Willie Watkins and the art of black funerals

A Homegoing to Remember

The past was bright but the future looks bleak for Herndon Stadium

After 37 years, Atlanta’s OG graffiti crew resurfaces

History

Why an early silent film kiss between two Black actors is so important

Georgia’s 12-string master left a lasting musical legacy

Atlanta’s Black Streaks reached top of early 20th century motorcycle racing

Arts & Music

Georgia’s Mount Rushmore of music

The legend of Mattiwilda Dobbs

The museums at Atlanta’s HBCUs are treasure troves of Black art

Resistance

Cecil Williams’ high-risk drink of water

Black hairstyles take a stand against white beauty standards

Black gays practice resistance daily being their authentic selves

Health

black families stuggle with fertility issues

Black women, long ignored in infertility discussions, speak out

Despite progress, HIV remains disproportionately Black in Georgia

Study: Toxins in blood of Brunswick residents who live near factories

Trauma

Tulsa Race Riots: White mobs reduced Black community to rubble in 1921

To My Old Master

‘The Weeping Time’: Largest sale of enslaved blacks in U.S. history

The Black Woman

Tina McElroy Ansa blazed a trail for black journalists before writing 5 novels

Novelist Tina McElroy Ansa was a trailblazer at The Atlanta Constitution

In Atlanta and across U.S., legacy of ‘Queen of Salsa’ as strong as ever

‘Sister President’ Johnnetta Betsch Cole: The voice of Spelman

The Black Man

The long, sad ride of Major Taylor

Lo Jelks, Atlanta’s first Black television reporter

Tiger Flowers: Trailblazing southpaw left indelible legacy on Atlanta

Atlanta Unveiled: How African Americans Shaped Our City

On 10th anniversary, Black History Month Series explored how African Americans built Atlanta

Shirley Franklin is a tough critic. Especially of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That is why I approached her with caution last week after a lecture and book signing by the...

Lena Mae Baker: ‘I am ready to meet my God’

Lena Baker: ‘I am ready to meet my God’

Lena Baker was executed in 1945 for killing a white man whom she testified had regularly beaten and raped her. In 2005, Georgia granted Baker a formal pardon.

The next generation of the Dungeon Family collective hold a photo of Beatrice “Mama Wade” Wade and Rico Wade, co-founder of Organized Noise, outside of the original Dungeon home on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. Several of them are pursuing careers in the arts, similar to their parents. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)

In 2024, the Dungeon Family lost its ‘heart.’ The kids are saving it.

The next generation of the Dungeon Family, artists that pioneered Atlanta’s rap scene, is stepping into the void.

Essential history of Neighborhood Arts Center, a space to celebrate Black creativity

The Neighborhood Arts Center opened in May 1975. Actors Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Nunn, author Toni Cade Bambara, visual artist Tina Dunkley were artists-in-residence.

The Poitier family of north Atlanta

A series of racist experiences in the Southeast, made Sidney Poitier avoid Atlanta. Love and a cluster of family, who made the metro Atlanta their, home kept him coming back.

How Atlanta Life Insurance Co. created the Black middle class

The reverends were looking for a messiah....

Atlanta Unveiled: Profiles in Black culture

A decade into The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Black History Month series, we have produced more than 300 pieces of original content to help tell the story of a culture. Tha...

In 1961, Malcolm X took an eye-opening trip to Atlanta

Malcolm X had been a public critic of King and rejected the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s direction on race relations.

Winfred Rembert documented the Jim Crow era with deeply personal paintings

Today, Rembert’s painting of a lively scene inside a juke joint in his hometown of Cuthbert, “The Dirty Spoon Café,” is on display in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Stop the presses? Savannah’s Black newspaper, the Tribune, prints on

Over its 150 year history, The Savannah Tribune, a Black-owned weekly, has overcome censorship, distribution challenges, an ill-timed closure, a legal challenge, even a fire.