Coretta Scott King founded The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in her basement in 1968, a few months after the assassination of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Her mission was to commemorate his legacy and continue his vision and mission of establishing a living memorial with public programs that promote their ideas and goals for a nonviolent and equal society. In 1981, the center moved to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, which includes Dr. King’s birth home, the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached from 1960 until his death, his gravesite, and a reflecting pool. Coretta Scott King’s grave is next to his since 2006. The CEO and the president of the center is the kings’ youngest daughter, Bernice King, who continues to carry the torch of peace and justice. The center offers lectures, youth leadership camps, Nonviolence365 Orientation, an annual gala, and more. Read more...

A memorial that commemorates the thousands of Asian women and girls who were sex slaves of the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II. They were called “Comfort Women,” kidnapped from their countries, mostly Korea, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines; some were never able to go back home. The memorial aims to raise awareness of sexual and human trafficking still happening in our world. The one-ton bronze statue is depicting a seated Asian girl next to an empty chair surrounded by a butterfly-shaped garden. It was created by the couple Kim Woon-Sung and Kim Seo-Kyung, who sculpted 20 similar statues commemorating Comfort Women all over the world. It is the first kind of a statue in the deep south. Originally, it was supposed to stand near the Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta but was relocated to Brookhaven, a city in Atlanta’s metro area, due to Japanese pressure. It was dedicated on June 30th, 2017, in Blackburn II Park, but moved shortly after the dedication to Blackburn Park, a larger and more accessible location. Among the 300 people who attended the unveiling ceremony was a guest of honor from Korea – Chul Kang, a survivor of the “Comfort Women” era. There are nine other memorials in the US and several more all over the world, to remember these women, and to not let their suffering be eliminated from the history pages.   Read more...

The Mary Latimer McLendon Memorial Fountain is located in an honorable location in the south wing on the main floor of Georgia’s State Capitol since 1923. It was given by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union to commemorate the organization and their leader Mary Latimer McLendon, who passed away two years before. McLendon, also known as “Mother of Suffrage in Georgia,” served as the president of the Georgia Women’s Suffrage Association (GWSA) for 18 years and was one of the leaders of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. She worked all her life for these causes and was able to witness the changes happening before her death in 1921: In 1919, the 18th amendment was ratified prohibition on the sale and production of alcohol across the country. In 1920 the 19th amendment was ratified, giving the women their right to vote. Georgia was the first state to reject the ratification of the 19th and only ratified it on February 20th, 1970. McLendon worked till her death to ensure the women of Georgia got their voting rights, but she was never able to vote herself. Read more...

One Woman Rising statue was created to commemorate “One Billion Rising,” a movement and a campaign to end violence against women and girls. The 12-foot-tall statue is depicting a dancing female figure as if visualizing the One Billion Rising movement’s motto – “Strike, Dance, Rise!” It was sculptured by Phil Proctor, and painted by the body painters Scott Fray and Madelyn Greco. A metal railing around the statue is inviting the visitors to interact by writing their stories of empowerment and reasons to rise on the provided ribbons attaching them to the metal rail. The statue was commissioned by the Chelko Foundation, which “seeks to empower women through art, education, and partnership.” The foundation was established in 2005 to commemorate and honor the life of Debbie Chelko. The One Billion Rising is a campaign demanding to end violence against womxn. Every year on February 14th, people are gathering all over the world for this cause – “RISING: FROM A CAMPAIGN, TO A WAY OF LIFE.” The movement was founded by the activist and playwright Eve Ensler, who is also famous for her playwright “The Vagina Monologues.” In the official dedication ceremony on February 12th, 2015, Ensler was the guest of honor. The statue is located in Freedom Park, a linear green park and an art park showcasing permanent and rotation exterior exhibitions. Not far from One Woman Rising statue is the artwork Journey to Freedom: Women of the Civil Rights, a set of two murals created by Lynn Linnemeier. Read more...

Two murals on Freedom Park commemorate the voices of the women of the civil rights movement, highlighting the female’s past and present contribution. Original photographs by Dr. Doris A. Derby, Shelia Turner, and Susan Ross are combined in a quilt-style design artwork created by the artist Lynn Marshall Linnemeier, who had to use a special technique to install the photographs so they will not deteriorate over time. Each of the murals revolves around a theme. One, around the themes of kindness, love, and respect; the other focuses on civil rights such as voting rights and religious freedom. Among the women who are displayed on the murals are Dorothy Height, Nikki Giovanni, Jean Childs Young, Kathleen Cleaver, Constance Curry, and more. “Journey to Freedom” was dedicated on February 25th, 2017, in a special ceremony with the participation of the civil rights activists Doris Derby, Kathleen Cleaver, and Constance Curry. Freedom Park is a linear green park, one of the largest in Atlanta. It is also an Art Park, showcasing permanent and rotating exhibits. Another installation honoring women in the park is “One Woman Rising.” Two other artworks that are #MadeByWomen are – “The New Endings,” honoring Andrew Young by Diane Solomon Kempler, and “Tree of Life” by Yvonne Domenge. Read more...

A historic house museum celebrates the life and achievements of Margaret Mitchell, the author of the famous novel Gone with the Wind, which got her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937. Mitchell lived in apartment #1 from 1925 to 1932. As a former reporter of the Atlanta Journal recovering from an ankle injury, she started writing a Civil War-era novel. Although she did not intend to publish it, when she did so in 1936, it immediately became a best seller. In 1937 the movie version was released and is still considered as one of the best movies of all time. The museum offers several permanent exhibitions. On the first floor where she lived, there is an exhibit about her life with interesting details about how she wrote the book. Other exhibits are about making the movie and its world premiere in Atlanta. Expect to find some interesting details about things that happened behind the scenes, as well as seeing a film capturing the moment Hattie McDaniel won the Oscar for her role in the movie. She was the first African American to win the Academy Awards prize. Learn all about Margaret Mitchell in a private guided tour in Atlanta: 3 Hour Private Gone With the Wind Tour of Margaret Mitchell’s Atlanta. Read more...