The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has a lot of well-known speeches, including “I Have a Dream” and “I Have Been to the Mountaintop.”
One he wrote as a student at Washington High School isn’t famous, but a copy of it is displayed in the Atlanta Public Schools archive museum downtown. King wrote the piece for a local oratory competition themed “The Negro and the Constitution.”
“Today thirteen million black sons and daughters of our forefathers continue the fight for the translation of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments from writing on the printed page to an actuality. We believe with them that ‘if freedom is good for any it is good for all,’ that we may conquer southern armies by the sword, but it is another thing to conquer southern hate, that if the franchise is given to Negroes, they will be vigilant and defend even with their arms, the ark of federal liberty from treason and destruction by her enemies.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
After winning that contest, King represented Washington High at a statewide competition. He said in later interviews he was forced to stand during the bus ride to Dublin, Georgia, so white passengers could sit.
The speech is one of many artifacts the district is spotlighting as part of the yearlong celebration of its 150th anniversary. Other items include a letter from a former president and an old standalone school bell that used to call children into class.
The district plans to celebrate alums as well as current students and staff during a parade at 10 a.m. Saturday to mark the district’s 150th school year. The 3-mile route starts near Carver High School.
The APS archive museum contains artifacts that detail the history of APS, which is foundational to the history of Atlanta.
Housed in a room and a small hallway on the first floor of the district’s central office, the archive museum’s space is small but packed with information. Display cases containing old photos and documents dot the floor. Original furniture, like student desks and registration tables, are displayed throughout the room. The walls are decorated with maps of Atlanta in different stages of growth and pictures of well-known alumni.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
The archives are a reminder of changes over time — changes in technology, curriculum, fashion, and social progress. Aged class schedules reveal a curriculum full of Latin classes and medieval history.
The district opened during Reconstruction, with three schools for white students. It then absorbed two schools for Black students, founded by the Freedmen’s Bureau.
“Initially, (the schools for Black students) were not going to be grafted in,” said APS archivist Erika Collier. A Black city councilman advocated for the schools to be included, Collier said.
One display case contains a letter from former President John F. Kennedy to former Atlanta school board Chairman Benjamin E. Mays, congratulating him for overseeing one of the most peaceful transitions into school integration in the U.S. in the early 1960s.
In one corner of the archive museum is a wall with framed pictures of every APS superintendent. Lisa Herring, the current superintendent, said she comes to what she calls the “superintendents corner” sometimes to reflect and reset.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
“As much as it may be a unique leadership journey for the sitting superintendent, we stand on the shoulders of those who were very thoughtful about how Atlanta — I’m going to say this because we’re in Atlanta — it does influence everything,” she said.
The long list of notable APS alumni would probably agree. APS boasts several famous former students, including writer Margaret Mitchell, actress/singer Lena Horne, Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy, singer Gladys Knight, actress Jasmine Guy, former boxing champ Evander Holyfield, journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Maynard Jackson, the city’s first Black mayor, rap star Lil Baby, and Mayor Andre Dickens.
“For 150 years, Atlanta Public Schools have produced leaders that are not only transforming Atlanta but transforming the world,” the mayor said in an email.
The public can visit the archive museum by calling 404-802-2267 to schedule an appointment.
Credit: Atlanta Public Schools
Credit: Atlanta Public Schools
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