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Winner of two 2013 Emmy Awards from the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Today in Georgia History
is a joint collaboration of the Georgia Historical Society & Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Civil Rights

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February 04, 2005

Ossie Davis

As an actor, and as an activist, Ossie Davis made his mark.

Born Rayford Chatman Davis in 1917 in Cogdell, Georgia, in Clinch County, he got his nic...
August 31, 1992

Charles Weltner

He was a Georgia congressman who courageously spoke out for racial equality at a time when few white leaders did.

Charles Weltner was born in 1927 in...
June 17, 1992

Grace Towns Hamilton

She was the first African-American woman elected to the Georgia Legislature.

Grace Towns Hamilton was born in Atlanta in 1907. She graduated from ...
January 13, 1982

Hank Aaron

He was 14 when he saw Jackie Robinson play, and knew he wanted to play major league baseball. There were few better.

Henry Louis Aaron was born in M...
June 13, 1977

James Earl Ray

The man who assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a small-time crook with big ambitions.

James Earl Ray was born in Alton, Illinois, in 1928. A...
November 07, 1972

Andrew Young

If there was a Mt. Rushmore for civil rights icons, Andrew Young would be on it. But his achievements go well beyond civil rights: Young has served as congre...
February 03, 1969

Ralph McGill

His was a voice of moderation during one of the South’s most racially divisive periods.

Ralph McGill was born in Tennessee in 1898. His sports co...
April 04, 1968

Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Now he belongs to the ages." That was said of Abraham Lincoln. It applies no less to Martin Luther King Jr.

King was planning a "Poor People’s ...
October 14, 1964

MLK Wins the Nobel Prize

He was the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta in 1929 as Michael Luther King. His father l...

July 02, 1964

Civil Rights Act of 1964

It was one of the most far-reaching Congressional acts in American history. In 1954, the Supreme Court weighed in in a big way against legalized bigotry. Its la...

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