When Spin launched in Atlanta in July, we wanted to celebrate in a way that honored the unique history of the city. That’s why we partnered with Civil Bikes, a local small business that curates walking and biking tours of some of the city’s unsung yet historically- and culturally-rich areas.
Spin is proud to partner with Civil Bikes for the organization’s first-ever digital tour centered around the struggle for Black voting rights in the Atlanta context, according to Civil Bikes founder and CEO Nedra Deadwyler.
The sites chosen — there will be 18 sites on the full tour — are not only the places where Black civic culture once thrived in the city, but they also represent a possible future of civic engagement and reinvestment in these communities. And, Deadwyler said, the digital format allows her to create an even more multi-layered experience.
“When I’m walking through an area, we have a limited time; we can’t talk about it all,” she said. But with a digital tour, it becomes like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book.” If you only want to watch a short video of a mural, you can. But if you wanted to dig deeper, that’s also an option. The tour will give us a view of not only the buildings where this dynamic civic life played out, but also the people — lawyers, shopkeepers, activists — who fought for the rights promised, but long delayed. On the tour, people will also be introduced to local businesses in the area who, in partnership with Civil Bikes, offer specials for those taking the tour on a Spin scooter.
Deadwyler gave us a sneak preview — all photos and media below are courtesy of Deadwyler — of what we can expect from the upcoming digital tour of the Sweet Auburn Historic District, a place she describes as “ground zero of Black Power in Atlanta” from the early 20th century through the Civil Rights era.
“These spaces are still there,” she said. “They are holders of memories.”
John Lewis Mural and the Walden Building
One stop along this virtual tour takes us to the Walden Building, next to the Butler Street YMCA. Combined, these buildings served as the “center of social and civic organizing” for the Black community in the area, Deadwyler said. The Walden Building is named for A. T. Walden, a prominent civil rights attorney and activist, who worked out of it as a local lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The child of former slaves, Walden worked tirelessly throughout his life to fight voter suppression and end practices like “white primaries,” through which white political party leaders prevented Black people from voting in primary elections, thus blocking them from having any say in the party’s candidates. In 1964, a year before he died, Walden became the first Black judge appointed in the state of Georgia since Reconstruction.
Fittingly, today, there stands a 65-foot tall mural of another hero of the civil rights movement, the late U.S. Representative John Lewis.
Silence by Gonzalo Borondo
Around the corner is another stop on the digital tour: the mural Silence by Gonzalo Borondo.
Painted in 2014, the mural incorporates the poignant quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” The mural stands as a reminder of the ongoing, generations-spanning struggle for Black people in the U.S. to be fully included in the promise of representative democracy, and the social and economic opportunities that come with that. In the picture above, a crowd gathers to view the mural before the pandemic.
Ella Baker Mural
Murals play a big role in connecting the residents of Atlanta today with the legacy of Black leaders of the civil rights movement.
This mural, by local artists Charmine Minnefield (lead artist) and Sean David (supporting artist), pays homage to Ella Baker, the prominent Civil Rights leader. Around the corner, visitors can see a Black Lives Matter-inspired mural, Say Their Name Mural by @CloudXCruiser and @AshmarieHolmes.
The digital tour, Deadwyler hopes, will give people the option to engage more deeply with the voices of those organizing for change today while understanding the deep history of activism that is the foundation of the community. And taking the tour on a Spin scooter is a safe way to do this while staying socially distanced.
The tour also encourages participants to support local businesses by offering specials for those who are taking the tour on Spin scooters. A couple businesses offering specials to Spin riders include Condesa Coffee and Sweet Auburn Bread, with more to come once the full tour is available.
And perhaps most importantly, Deadwyler hopes the tour inspires people to continue to push for change, carrying on the legacy of this neighborhood’s former residents. You can start by registering to vote and making a plan to vote this election cycle. Georgia voters must be registered to vote by October 3, and there are options to vote by mail or in-person (either during early voting or on Election Day, which is November 3).
