ATLANTA – (March 6, 2024) – ATL Airport District Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), the destination marketing organization for the cities of College Park, Hapeville and Union City, Ga., today announced the unveiling of Hapeville Depot Museum’s new permanent exhibit, “Civil Rights and Workers Rights: An Exhibition of Hapeville’s Atlanta Assembly Plant.” The exhibit aims to tell the uniquely heartbreaking yet uplifting story of the former Atlanta Assembly Plant. In an immersive public history exhibition, the museum will showcase the resilience of the plant’s workers and the power of social change, ensuring that the lessons of the past continue to inspire and inform our present and future generations. A grand opening event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, featuring light refreshments and an in-depth guided tour through the museum.
"We are thrilled to see this historic exhibit come to fruition and give the community a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the many heroes who shaped our community," said Cookie Smoak, president of the ATL Airport District CVB. "Preserving and understanding our community's history is important, and doing so will positively guide both present and future generations."
The exhibit will delve into the fundamental history of the Atlanta Assembly Plant, as well as the often-unmentioned topics and events such as discrimination, workers' rights, environmental issues, union organizing, globalization and de-industrialization. Among the plant's remarkable working-class African American heroes are Leon Bradford and Clarence Williams. Bradford delivered a pivotal, impassioned speech on the factory floor addressing discrimination, while Williams served as a leader of the Better Community Builders, a watchdog group for discrimination in the plant, and became the first African American vice president of the Local 882 Union.
This exhibit is supported by Georgia Humanities, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, through funding from the Georgia General Assembly.
MEDIA NOTE: Preliminary images and videos of the exhibit can be found here.
To learn more about the ATL Airport District CVB, call 404-334-7500 or visit ATLdistrict.com. For updates on everything in “The District,” follow @ATLDistrict on Facebook and Instagram and @ATLDistrictCVB on YouTube.
For additional details about Hapeville Depot Museum’s new permanent exhibit, please visit HapevilleDepot.org. Stay up to date on everything at the Hapeville Depot Museum by following on Facebook or Instagram.
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About the ATL Airport District Convention & Visitors Bureau
The ATL Airport District Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for the cities of College Park, Hapeville and Union City, Georgia. Home to the world’s most traveled airport, Georgia’s second largest convention center, more than 7,000 hotel rooms, an abundance of arts and culture, an eclectic mix of great restaurants, and located just minutes from downtown Atlanta, the ATL Airport District offers big-city amenities balanced with Southern charm.
Media Contact:
Cameron Trice, Hemsworth Communications
770-286-2207 or AADPR@HemsworthCommunications.com
