Living Atlanta: Atlanta Life from World War 1 through World War 2
Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 4-5pm from May 31st to September 22nd
In recognition of WRFG’s 50th Anniversary, beginning every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, May 31 through September 22nd, WRFG 89.3 FM will be airing one of our most valuable historical contributions, our award winning series: Living Atlanta: Atlanta Life from World War 1 through World War 2.
In 1977, after receiving a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, WRFG began recording interviews from Atlanta residents, compiling oral history about Atlanta life from those who lived it. Close to two hundred people were interviewed for the series and ranging in ages from 60 to 106, the Living Atlanta respondents represented a broad cross section of Atlanta society.
Topics throughout the series include The Streetcar Workers and the 1916 Strike, Booker T Washington High School, Railroad Workers, Bootlegging, Domestic Workers, Textile Workers and the 1934 strike, as well as many other developments and experiences in race relations, church life, public housing, and education in black and white communities of Atlanta.
Originally recorded on reel to reel and spliced together in a home studio, the series was then transferred to cassette tapes in the 80s, and in some cases to CD’s after that, only to finally be digitized and undergo some audio restoration.
The original broadcast of the Living Atlanta series began on November 15th, 1979. In recognition of historical dates and topics, you may have heard some of the episodes aired.
We ask you to tune into WRFG 89.3 FM every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 4-5pm from May 31 to September 22 to hear Living Atlanta in its entirety. Episodes run between 30-40 minutes in length. Each day is a new episode.
2023 Programming Schedule by date of airing:
Wednesday, May 31st – “The Etiquette of Race Relations – Part 1”
Thursday, June 1st – “The Etiquette of Race Relations – Part 2”
Friday, June 2nd – “The Streetcar Workers and the 1916 Strike”
Wednesday, June 7th – “The Great Atlanta Fire of 1917”
Thursday, June 8th – “Public Education in Atlanta – Part 1: The 1920’s. The beginning of progressive education; early white high schools; sex discrimination”
Friday, June 9th – “Public Education in Atlanta – Part 2: Booker T. Washington High, Atlanta’s First Black Public High School”
Wednesday, June 14th – “Public Education in Atlanta – Part 3: The 1930’s”
Thursday, June 15th – “Atlanta’s Blues and Country Musicians – Part 1: Making A Living”
Friday, June 16th – “Atlanta’s Blues and Country Musicians – Part 2: Recording and Radio”