"Democracy demands memory"1Julian Bond, "Democracy Demands Memory," Southern Changes 19, no. 1 (1997): 3-4.
Julian Bond
About the Series
Trouble the Land: A Personal History of the Civil Rights Movement in Five Southern Cities is a series of multi-media presentations exploring the local character of the civil rights movement through the voices of those who lived it. The series, which covers Atlanta, GA, Montgomery, AL, Columbia, SC, Jackson, MS, and Little Rock, AR, is a transformation of the 1997 Peabody Award-winning audio documentary Will the Circle Be Unbroken? produced by the Southern Regional Council (SRC) and distributed by Public Radio International (PRI). Trouble the Land pairs Will the Circle Be Unbroken's audio (sans original music) with an enhanced transcript featuring curated photographs, archival images, original maps, informational text links, and recommended resources.2Will the Circle Be Unbroken's original music was digitally removed due to prohibitively high licensing costs. Through this series, Southern Spaces seeks to stimulate critical discussion about the civil rights movement and the process of societal transformation among scholars, activists, educators, students, and the general public.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken's physical program files and sound recordings can be found at Emory University's Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. To access the digitized, unedited oral histories that the Southern Regional Council conducted and used as the foundation for the Atlanta episodes, visit Emory Library’s Aviary platform. These remarkable materials are available open access for the first time. The oral histories conducted for the four remaining cities will be released as they are completed.
About the Creators
The audio documentary series Will the Circle Be Unbroken? was produced by the Southern Regional Council (SRC) and distributed by Public Radio International (PRI). George King served as producer, Steve Suitts as executive producer, and Worth Long and Randall Williams were senior associate producers. The series was narrated by Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor.
Trouble the Land was developed from the Will the Circle Be Unbroken? radio program by the staff of Southern Spaces and the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship. Ella Myer serves as series editor. Sound engineering and video editing by Steve Bransford. Additional editing by Allen Tullos, Angelica Johnson, Ayoung Kim, Nyaradzai Mahachi, and Jessica Halsey.
Atlanta Installments Launching Spring 2026
“Prelude to the Atlanta Movement” traces the beginnings of the civil rights movement in Atlanta. With an emphasis on the 1940s and 1950s, topics covered include Atlanta's historical pattern of "accommodation" on racial matters, its Black and white "power structure," the flourishing of Auburn Avenue, the rise of Black voting power, and the city's first Black police officers.
"Atlanta Student Movement" explores the origins and tactics of student-led civil rights activism in Atlanta. With an emphasis on 1960, topics include the publication of "An Appeal for Human Rights," the boycott of Rich's Department Store, and the tensions between student activists and older members of Atlanta's Black power structure.
"Crow and Molasses" explores the desegregation of Atlanta public schools. With an emphasis on 1961, topics covered include the state's resistance to Brown vs. Board of Education, the Sibley Commission, and the "Atlanta Nine." The presentation closes with a discussion of white flight and the "Atlanta Compromise of 1973," which halted busing as a method of integration.
“The City Too Busy to Hate” examines Atlanta’s carefully managed image of racial moderation. Centered on the 1960s, the installment traces how a white business-led power structure promoted stability and economic growth while limiting meaningful desegregation. Topics include "Atlanta's Berlin Wall," Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Nobel Prize dinner, the Summerhill Riots, and Dr. King’s funeral.
“The Rise of Black Political Power” traces Atlanta’s political transformation from the 1940s through the 1970s, as sustained voter registration and organizing shifted Black Atlantans from the balance of power to power itself. Highlights include the historic elections of Leroy Johnson and Maynard Jackson and Julian Bond’s battle to be seated in the state legislature.
Trouble the Land Partners
| 1. | Julian Bond, "Democracy Demands Memory," Southern Changes 19, no. 1 (1997): 3-4. |
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| 2. | Will the Circle Be Unbroken's original music was digitally removed due to prohibitively high licensing costs. |