- Collection:
- WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection
- Title:
- WSB-TV newsfilm clip of Chamber of Commerce president Opie L. Shelton urging businesses to comply with the 1964 Civil Rights Act in Atlanta, Georgia, 1964 July
- Creator:
- WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)
- Contributor to Resource:
- Shelton, Opie L. (Opie Lee), 1915-1999
- Date of Original:
- 1964-07-00
- Subject:
- African Americans--Civil rights--Georgia--Atlanta
Central business districts--Georgia--Atlanta
Business enterprises
Discrimination in public accommodations--Georgia--Atlanta
Federal-city relations--Georgia--Atlanta
Segregation--Georgia--Atlanta
Interviews--Georgia--Atlanta
Reporters and reporting--Georgia--Atlanta - People:
- Shelton, Opie L. (Opie Lee), 1915-1999
- Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, 33.79025, -84.46702
United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798 - Medium:
- moving images
news
unedited footage - Type:
- MovingImage
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- In this WSB newsfilm clip from July 1964, Atlanta Chamber of Commerce president Opie L. Shelton gives a statement encouraging local businesses to comply with the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The clip begins by showing a sign for the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Shelton declares that while the Chamber of Commerce feels the federal government should not legislate public accommodations, the Chamber continues to urge its members "soliciting businesses from the general public to do so without regard to race, creed, or color." The clip breaks, and Shelton repeats that voluntary integration has been successful. The camera focuses on a picture of an Atlanta street scene on the wall behind Shelton; interspersed with this, Shelton repeats the statement about the Chamber's voluntary policy. The clip ends by showing a three-dimensional mural of people and a domed building. The Atlanta Chamber of Commerce encouraged members to voluntarily integrate their businesses both before and after the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. While some restaurants integrated in June 1963, many had resegregated by the end of the year. Two Atlanta businesses fought the legality of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in cases eventually decided by the United States Supreme Court in favor of the law in December 1964. Following the ruling the Heart of Atlanta Motel desegregated, and segregationist and later Georgia governor Lester Maddox closed his restaurant rather than serve African Americans.
Title supplied by cataloger. - Local Identifier:
- Clip number: wsbn46925
- Metadata URL:
- https://crdl.usg.edu/id:ugabma_wsbn_wsbn46925
- Digital Object URL:
- https://crdl.usg.edu/do:ugabma_wsbn_wsbn46925
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/ugabma_wsbn_wsbn46925/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: wsbn46925, WSB-TV newsfilm clip of Chamber of Commerce president Opie L. Shelton urging businesses to comply with the 1964 Civil Rights Act in Atlanta, Georgia, 1964 July, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 1186, 24:33/29:48, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia
- Extent:
- 1 clip (about 5 mins., 15 secs.): black-and-white, sound ; 16 mm.
- Original Collection:
- Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.
- Contributing Institution:
- Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection
- Rights:
-
