Atlanta during the 1970s was uneasily morphing between a a big southern city and a national urban center. In this decade following the death of native son Martin King, the races made an earnest attempt to take the civil rights movement to the next level--a sharing of the fruits of political and economic power. And it got very close to becoming the "beloved community" that was the highest dream of Dr. King.
It was a city in flux; with hippies, historic elections, revival of decaying old neighborhoods, blossoming of storefront theaters, gay pride, and a searching for a new southernness. And I was there, taking pictures. As the "white boy with the black press" in Atlanta from 1969-75 I was exposed to the world that nourished, educated and supported the work of Our Martin. Something was in the very air.
A weekly webzine of the photojournalism of
Boyd Lewis
