Page 21 - DeKalb Bicentennial Flipbook

Mid-20 Century DeKalb
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the Southeast. In the first year, 1,300 employees were on the
production line – so many more people, that new stores and
services would be added to the community.
DeKalb was becoming a treasured place enriched
by dynamic communities connected to their industries,
churches, parks, and cultural offerings. The DeKalb
Historical Society formed in 1947 (now known as DeKalb
History Center in the courthouse) with a mission to collect,
preserve, and share the wide-ranging stories of the people
and places of DeKalb County.
Still, a struggle for equality will always raise its voice,
around the world, and here in DeKalb County. The
National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) Branch of Decatur established in 1955.
Voting registration and equal access to education formed
first initiatives.
The arrest in Decatur of civil rights leader Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. was publicly decried by President Kennedy.
It led to groundswell support for Kennedy among voters of
color and is considered a major contributing factor in the
formation of the modern Civil Rights movement.

Emory University Hospital’s building, 1950 (top);
Veterans Administration Medical Center opens in
Decatur in 1967 (center); General Motors operates
Doraville assembly plant from 1947 to 2008 (bottom)

Sp i rit o f D eK alb – B i centen n ial 1822-2022 19