In this episode, I talk to former Atlanta Magazine editor and current University of Georgia professor Rebecca Burns. In this interview, we talk about Atlanta’s own racial massacre, the 1906 Atlanta Racial Massacre. Rebecca is the author of Rage in the Gate City, a book on the 1906 Atlanta Racial Massacre, that covers not only this incident of racial violence in Atlanta’s history. Her book covers why the combination of economic uncertainty, white resentment, and false news manipulation during a very contentious 1906 Georgia governor’s election led to the worst incident of racial violence in the city’s history.
We also talk about why Atlanta’s 1906 racial incident — like so many others, was swept under the rug and removed from history. We also talk about the rise in prominence of white mob violence and false news reports in relation to the January 6th US Capitol insurrection as well as its historic parallel to Atlanta in 1906.
This interview can also be heard here on Substack but is also available on Apple Podcasts, also Spotify, and SoundCloud as well.
Interview with Rebecca Burns on the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot