Project of Nathan Mallonee, Krishna Mehta, Yelissa Navarro and Vishal Patel
Proposal
The city of Atlanta, Georgia is home to an immense amount of culture and history dating back to before the Civil War. One of the best ways to convey the hundreds of years of stories buried under the Atlanta streets is through Wayside signs placed at distinct locations around the city. They aim to capture the many reports and accounts of historical events associated with the nearby area in a concise yet informative manner that both the everyday Atlantan and visiting tourist can appreciate. This proposal outlines three new signs that will be positioned at 100 Auburn Avenue, the John Wesley Dobbs Plaza, and Ebenezer Baptist Church. In an effort to highlight the forgotten legacies of the Civil Rights Movement, the content displayed in these signs will focus on the area’s connection with Alonzo Herndon, the prominent African American entrepreneur of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company and Atlanta’s first black millionaire who was an integral component to the fight for civil rights. Throughout the duration of this course, the historical content for these signs will be gathered through various research methods, compiled, summarized, and edited down into 200-word passages. These concise deliverables will be used as the content engraved on the signs in the following months.
Yelissa Navarro will design a sign to be placed at Herndon Plaza outside of the Honors College building in honor of Alonzo Herndon. The intent is to emphasize the impact that Alonzo Herndon and his successors had on their community through the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Herndon’s legacy was one of black entrepreneurship in the city of Atlanta. His son Norris Herndon made important financial contributions to the Civil Rights student movement of the 1960’s. This sign should serve as a reminder of the important benefactors that helped fund positive change and progress in Atlanta.
Nathan Mallonee will produce content for the sign at John Wesley Dobbs Plaza. Dobbs was known as the “Unofficial Mayor of Auburn Avenue” and played an integral part in shaping the African-American community in Atlanta as well as the importance of the Black vote. He fought to protect Auburn Avenue from being classified as a “slum street” by the white Metro Atlanta Planning Commission, who intended to clear such areas. The sign will summarize his life and focus on his accomplishments and contributions to civil rights.
Vishal Patel and Krishna Mehta will work together on the sign that will be in front of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This site is the ground of a great deal of history and countless stories have transpired in the area. With the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site nearby, instead of summarizing his stories and well-known accomplishments, the sign will focus on two people who many may have overlooked. The sign at the Ebenezer Church is to involve both C.T. Vivian and Alonzo Herndon’s influence on not only Martin Luther King Jr., but also the Civil Rights Movement. As the important roles of these two integral people of this time period are often forgotten, it is imperative that their contributions be recognized. In 1963, King invited Vivian to join the executive staff of the SCLC as the director of affiliates. It was here that, Mr. Vivian began to make his impact felt on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. C.T. Vivian had actually convinced the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that Selma would be an adequate place to launch a campaign.
Documentation
Herndon Plaza Sign Mock-Up
Ebenzer Baptist Church
John Wesley Dobbs Plaza
Gallery
