WSB-TV newsfilm clip of Lester Maddox pushing African Americans away from his cafeteria with an ax handle, Atlanta, Georgia, 1965 January 29: https://crdl.usg.edu/record/ugabma_wsbn_wsbn47697 & https://crdl.usg.edu/record/ugabma_wsbn_wsbn47697
Event Details
Date: January 29, 1965 Primary People: George Willis, Albert Dunn, Woodrow T Lewis, Charles Wells, and Lester Maddox Summary: In this WSB newsfilm clip from January 29, 1965, Reverend Charles E. Wells, Sr. and three unidentified African American men (Albert Dunn, Woodrow T Lewis, Charles Wells) peacefully attempt to patronize the Lester Maddox Cafeteria in Atlanta, Georgia, where they are faced down by Lester Maddox and other white restaurant patrons and staff, who violently push them away from the establishment and shout at them. A young white male patron is also pushed off of the property. Multiple segments of the clip appear to be out of sequence.
Quotations
“ Maddox rushed to the men, shoving them over and over away from the front steps and toward the sidewalk. It was as if Maddox were sickened by the thought of any of the men actually crossing through the threshold of his restaurant’s front door, and he pushed back as if his life depended upon it. Maddox would indeed later say his life, liberty, and freedoms stood at the precipice as the young ministers again pressed for a plate of food. ”
Greene, Ronnie. Heart of Atlanta: Five Black Pastors and the Supreme Court Victory for Integration (pp. 151-152). Chicago Review Press. Kindle Edition.
“ Lewis glimpsed Maddox holding two axe handles, one in each hand, and pushing, shoving, and haranguing the ministers as a mob of supporters, including his son, shouted at them… In one scene, Maddox swipes at the neck of Willis, trying to knock him down. ”
Greene, Ronnie. Heart of Atlanta: Five Black Pastors and the Supreme Court Victory for Integration (p. 153). Chicago Review Press. Kindle Edition.
Media/External Links
WSB-TV newsfilm clip of a news report about continued segregation at the Lester Maddox Cafeteria, with comments by segregationist Lester Maddox and African American civil rights lawyer Donald Hollowell, Atlanta, Georgia, 1965
Summary: In this WSB news film clip from 1965, a reporter comments on the segregationist policies at the Lester Maddox cafeteria in Atlanta, Georgia and interviews Lester Maddox and civil rights lawyer Donald Hollowell about the situation. Link to Media Source: https://crdl.usg.edu/record/ugabma_wsbn_wsbn51708