Roots of Friendship: African Americans and Jews in Atlanta, 1900 - 1950

10:00 Symposium Moderator - Dr. Charissa Threat, Spelman College

10:15 Ms. Melissa Fay Greene, author                                     Stronger Together: The African American and Jewish Communities

Greene will focus on neighborhoods that were excluded from the business of raising a new Atlanta after the Civil War. These communities suffered and struggled separately for decades until a few visionary leaders made clear the common cause and encouraged their people to stand together.

11:00  Break

11:10 Ms. Sandy Berman, author                                        Ruminations and Reflections: The Holocaust Survivor’s Experience in Post WWII Atlanta

Berman recounts the Atlanta experiences of holocaust survivors and refugees from Europe. She also discusses their struggles during the years of Jim Crow laws, which enforced local and state segregation, and early signs of resistance that led to the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

11:40 Ms. Danielle Wiggins, Ph.D. candidate, Emory University  Gradual Resistance: African Americans and Post WWII Life in Atlanta

Wiggins presents the experiences of African American soldiers in Europe, the challenges veteran African American soldiers faced when they returned to Georgia, the Double V campaign, and signs of resistance that led to the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

12:10 - 1:30  Catered lunch buffet (included in cost of symposium) with panel discussion.

Panel Moderator - Dr. Jelani Favors, Clayton State University 

Panelists: Mr. David Goldwasser,  Mr. Herschel Greenblat, Ms. Sylvia Clark, Mr. Roy Nesby (brief presentations on memories of early African American and Jewish communities) Other panelists: Melissa Fay Greene, Sandy Berman, and Danielle Wiggins.

This session will include reflections on the Jewish presence in Atlanta’s African American communities, the African American neighborhoods of Bellwood and Beacon, changes after the assassination of Dr. King, the early Civil Rights Movement, and Jewish perspectives on African Americans’ struggles for rights. Panelists will give short presentations and then take questions.

Call (404) 373-1088, ext 20 for additional information or to register by phone.

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