ATL Standard

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms recently joined residents in remembering the Atlanta Race Massacre, which left more than 25 Black residents dead 115 years ago.

In an event at the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on Sept. 22, residents looked forward to ways artists can honor these dark days in American history, Fox News reported.

“Our history is something that needs to be remembered," Bottoms said. "It’s something that needs to be carried in our heart. Unless we’ll repeat it."

In 1906, Five Points became the epicenter of the Atlanta Race Massacre that claimed the lives of at least 25 Black and two white residents. In a state of segregation at the time, white mobs took to the downtown streets, destroying Black property, beating and killing them.

This year’s event, organized by Dr. Rachanice Tate and members of the Fulton Remembrance Coalition, included a panel of historians and previewed a play based on the massacre.

In addition to the event, many organizers marched around Sweet Auburn, where much of the violence took place in 1909. Throughout the week, additional events took place to honor victims of the massacre including citywide remembrance, live arts, panel discussions on history and restorative justice, and a guided historical remembrance walk.