ATL Standard

The City of Atlanta has announced a partnership with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) to launch a community engagement initiative for the former Chattahoochee Brick Company site. This collaboration aims to facilitate discussions and raise awareness about the history of the property in Northwest Atlanta, as well as the goals for its redevelopment.

To kick off this initiative, a series of informative seminars will be held to provide background information about the site and its significance to the city. These seminars, which will take place from February to June at The Carter Presidential Center, will also outline the long-term plans for community involvement.

The first seminar, scheduled for February 17, 2024, will provide a project update and emphasize the importance of memorialization. This will be followed by seminars on topics such as the native peoples of the Piedmont Region and the Chattahoochee River, the experiences of African Americans before and after the war, nineteenth-century industry, labor, and environmental degradation, and the role of brick building, criminal justice, and race in Atlanta. Each seminar will offer attendees the opportunity to delve deeper into the historical context and engage in meaningful discussions.

The historical context of the Chattahoochee Brick Company site is deeply intertwined with the practice of convict leasing in Atlanta. Convict leasing was widespread in the post-Civil War period and continued until 1909 in Georgia. Thousands of Black Americans were arrested for minor offenses and leased to private white-owned industries, where they endured inhumane and often fatal conditions. The Chattahoochee Brick Company was among the Atlanta industries that heavily relied on convict leasing to rebuild the city after the war.

As the City of Atlanta embarks on the process of repurposing the 75-acre site, the Chattahoochee Brick Company Memorial, Greenspace, and Park Board, consisting of 11 community members, will lead the efforts to protect and memorialize the site's historic significance. This board is committed to ensuring a transparent, thoughtful, inclusive, and collaborative process for the visioning, planning, designing, and redevelopment of the site.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, a museum and cultural organization in Atlanta, will play a crucial role in this community engagement initiative. Through its Truth & Transformation Initiative, the center aims to help the community critically engage with Atlanta's history of racial terror and forced labor. As part of this initiative, the center's Truth & Transformation team will research and identify descendants of forced laborers and individuals who worked for the Chattahoochee Brick Company. They will also develop educational content to highlight the historical impact of forced labor.

This collaborative effort between the City of Atlanta and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights marks an important step towards acknowledging and understanding the history of the Chattahoochee Brick Company site. By fostering community involvement and promoting dialogue, this initiative seeks to create a more equitable future for all. For more information on the seminar series and the Chattahoochee Brick Company site, visit the official websites of the City of Atlanta and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.