African American history in Atlanta is documented in the Kenan Research Center’s strong collections of civic and political leaders, photojournalists, and oral history resources. The Research Center features the professional papers of mid-20th century business, civic, and political leaders, including Austin T. Walden, Grace Towns Hamilton, Henry Rucker, and Walter Aiken. The Research Center also features a robust collection of photography that documents the African American experience in Atlanta from the 19th century onward. Of particular interest is the photography of Atlanta photojournalist Boyd Lewis, which documents the rise of Atlanta’s African American political class in the 1970s. The Research Center’s collection of oral history interviews offers the perspectives of African Americans on segregation and racial justice, neighborhood development, employment, sports, academia, and the law.
African American History. Dig in.
Professional Papers and Organizational Records
Long, Rucker, Aiken Family Papers
Atlanta Lung Association Records
Photography Collections
African American Visual Arts Collection
Oral History Collections
Living Atlanta Oral History Recordings
Voices Across the Color Line Oral History Recordings
Vine City/Domed Stadium Oral History Recordings
For more information about our archival collections, please call 404.814.4040 or email reference@atlantahistorycenter.com.
Explore. More.
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Archival Collections
Kenan Research Center collects institutional records and personal papers that document Atlanta’s political and civic history.
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Archival Collections
Kenan Research Center’s military history collections document the Civil War, World War I, and World War II; as well as an oral history collection featuring over 600 interviews with veterans of foreign wars, including World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars.
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Archival Collections
Atlanta’s urban development, and political and social history are well documented through thousands of photographs from photojournalists and corporate photographers, primarily dated 1930-1990.