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Lonnie King interview

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@ Atlanta History Center
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Merritt, Carole

Description

In this interview, Lonnie King describes his experiences in the Navy, especially in terms of racial discrimination. He discusses the Appeal for Humans Rights statement (1960) and how he played a significant role in the formation of the Atlanta Student Movement. King chronicles the birth of the Atlanta Inquirer Newspaper. He addresses the negative reaction of the black college presidents to the students spearheading the movement, believing the NAACP should have provided the leadership role in the movement. He recalls the strong support of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company’s staff to the Civil Rights Movement.Lonnie C. King, Jr. became a civil rights activist as a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He later served as the head of the Atlanta branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the early 1970s. In that role, he was instrumental in negotiating a compromise that rejected school busing in return for the hiring of Atlanta’s first black school superintendent, Alonzo Crim, and the appointment of African American members to the Board of Education.
Type:
Video
Rights:
This material is protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S Code) Permission for use must be cleared through The Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.
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Record Contributed By

Atlanta History Center

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia