Atlanta Cyclorama Presents 3 Free Events In April and May

The Atlanta Cyclorama has three special events coming up which are free and open to the public. Share the information with someone who might be interested in attending. Thanks!

Reconstruction and the Promise of a Progressive Post-Civil War America War

Douglas Egerton, Professor of History at Le Moyne College on Thursday, April 9 at 7 pm – FREE Lecture and Q&A

Often considered a failure by many historians, the Federal government’s efforts to rebuild the nation in the wake of the Civil War proved incredibly challenging. Reconstruction, as this era was known, not only provided much-needed resources for formerly enslaved African Americans and whites alike, but this period also served as the foundation upon which former slave owners planned strategies to regain control of the south, and a time that African Americans would begin to make the case for recompense for centuries of free labor. Using his book, The Wars of Reconstruction: The Brief, Violent History of America’s Most Progressive Era, as the backdrop, Dr. Egerton’s lecture will challenge formerly held notions of Reconstruction and inspire new ways of thinking about this important post-Civil War period. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom

Thursday, April 23 at 7 pm –  FREE film screening in partnership with Urban Film Review

Early in his career Asa Philip Randolph was the editor of the Messenger and used the paper to speak out against segregation and lynching. Later he would focus his attention on the discriminatory practices of the Pullman Company, and in 1925 formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP). In the 1930’s he served as president of the National Negro Congress, and used it as a platform to convince President Franklin Roosevelt to protect the labor and civil rights of African Americans. A long-time labor activist, he led the first March on Washington in 1941. That march resulted in the establishment of the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC). Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s Mr. Randolph’s activism continued to force the hand of political powerhouses. The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was perhaps his crown jewel, as it gave Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the platform he needed to secure important legislation for African Americans. This film tells the story of this unsung Civil Rights hero.  Here’s a sneak preview: http://bit.ly/1ED7zmz. After the film the audience will be invited to participate in an open discussion.

Margaret Walker: For My People People

Thursday, May 28 at 7 pm – FREE film screening in partnership with Urban Film Review

Best known for her novel Jubilee, Margaret Walker’s masterpiece tells the story of a Civil War and Reconstruction-era enslaved African American family, and is based on her great-grandmother’s life. Less known, is that Dr. Walker was the first African American woman to win a national writing prize—the Yale Young Poets Award—for her 1942 collection of poetry entitled For My People. Encouraged by Langston Hughes to attend college in the north, she completed her B.A. at Northwestern University and her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Iowa. Dr. Walker retired from Jackson State University in 1979, after a 30-year career. This documentary tells her amazing story. After the screening there will be dramatic readings from Jubilee and For My People, and an audience conversation led by a local scholar.

The Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum opened in 1921 and contains the world’s largest oil painting. The circular painting, known as a “cyclorama,” is 42 feet high X 358 feet long, and depicts the series of conflicts which encompass the Battle of Atlanta. Tours of the Cyclorama take place Tuesday through Saturday throughout the day, and include stadium seating for patrons on a revolving platform which affords a 360° view while they listen to details of the exciting events in the painting. The centerpiece of the two story museum is the Texas, the locomotive that won the Civil War adventure called “The Great Locomotive Chase.” The museum also features uniforms, guns & artillery, soldiers’ personal items, maps and other artifacts.

The Atlanta Cyclorama is conveniently located near downtown Atlanta, in Historic Grant Park, at 800 Cherokee Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30315. For general information, and more details about this year’s special events, visit our web site: www.atlantacyclorama.org.

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MEDIA Contact: Karen Hatchett – karen@hatchettpr.com