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Title: Civil Sights: Sweet Auburn, a Journey Through Atlanta’s National Treasure
Author: Gene Kansas, with sketches by Clay Kiningham
Review by: Frank Groome, Consul General of Ireland in Atlanta
Civil Sights is a deeply absorbing narrative. The author’s passion for history and the city of Atlanta resonates throughout.
Gene Kansas reminds us of the importance of preserving and celebrating Atlanta’s rich history as the birthplace of the civil rights movement in America, and understanding the city as a part of a living history and continuing journey.
The historic buildings and history of the Sweet Auburn neighbourhood aren’t just a backdrop, but an active force in constructing meaning, understanding and shaping identity and political discourse even today.
Working for Ireland in Atlanta, I salute the role this city played in the civil rights movement in America. That movement and its methods of peaceful resistance rippled around the world, not least to Northern Ireland.
This book brings to life the history of Sweet Auburn neighbourhood, the people who lived there, their ideas and global influence, which continue to reach far beyond the city limits of Atlanta.
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