WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)

Description

In this silent WSB newsfilm clip dated July 6, 1962, African American delegates from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) convention in Atlanta, Georgia picket the segregated restaurant Johnny Reb's Canteen, while white men counterdemonstrate and hand out leaflets.The clip opens with a shot of African American demonstrators picketing on the sidewalk in front of Johnny Reb's Canteen, a segregated Atlanta restaurant. The picketers carry placards that read "Open restaurant policy in Dallas, Tex. Why not in Atlanta? N.A.A.C.P." A white man dressed in a Confederate soldier's uniform, presumably an employee of Johnny Reb's, marches alongside the African American protesters. In mock protest, he carries a sign that reads "Everybody loves Johnny Reb's ice cream." Next, a group of white observers watch the demonstrations from a nearby building. This is followed by another shot of African American protesters back at Johnny Reb's Canteen wearing signs that read "12 southern cities have open hotels why not Atlanta? N.A.A.C.P." Next, a police officer signals street traffic to continue moving forward. This is followed by footage of a white man handing out leaflets to white passersby; he withholds the leaflets as a group of young African American women walks by, and resumes distributing the leaflets as more white men pass by.In July 1962, the NAACP held its fifty-third annual convention in Atlanta, Ga. Although lunch counters had recently integrated, the majority of the city's public accommodations remained segregated and convention attendees were refused service in several downtown hotels and...

Record Contributed By

Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia