Archive Atlanta

In 1950s Georgia, faced with school desegregation, the governor’s plan was simple: abolish public schools. This episode dives into Atlanta’s tense response to Brown v. Board, the courage of 80 white ministers who spoke out against segregation, and the backlash that followed. rom sermons and manifestos to church bombings and cautious integration, we explore how religion, politics, and protest collided in a city trying to avoid another Little Rock. https://bobshands.com/oasis/  Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

In the fall of 1971, a group of volunteers in Atlanta set out to build a radio station by the people, for the people. By 1973, WRFG was on the airwaves, amplifying voices that mainstream media refused to touch: Black activists, women, laborers, LGBTQ, ex-convicts, and musicians from every walk of life. But just two months after launch, Atlanta police tried to shut it down — accusing the station of spreading radical politics. From 32 watts to 100,000, this is the story of how one scrappy, volunteer-run station was born in Atlanta. https://wrfg.org/programschedule/ Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

Before it became Atlanta’s most iconic cemetery, Oakland Cemetery was just six acres of farmland owned by the Woodings. But as the city grew, so did its need to bury its dead. From Confederate obelisks to disinterred graves, this is the story of the cemetery that tells Atlanta’s story. Oakland Cemetery Oakland Cemetery book Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

This week, I am re-sharing an episode from 2021 where I cover the history of Atlanta’s City Hall...not just the Art Deco masterpiece you can see today, but also the places that no longer exist. Where they were, how we got them and what their fate was. Our current City Hall (the 4th one in history), was built in 1930 and brought forth something called the Atlanta Graft Ring - an epic corruption scandal that brought down a mayor and won the Constitution a Pulitzer Prize.  Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

Before Atlanta was crisscrossed with interstates and highways, there was a bold plan—born from the Great Depression, inspired by Germany’s Autobahn, and fueled by fears of another economic collapse.  In this episode, we rewind to the 1930s to unpack how the U.S. highway system began, why Atlanta jumped in headfirst, and how a single report—the Lochner Report—shaped decades of urban design, displacement, and, yes... gridlock. From ambitious plans, to having to teach Atlantans how to drive on the interstate, and even a traffic-stopping turkey, this is the origin story of the Atlanta Expressway and the infamous Downtown Connector. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram   

This week, we’re talking about Atlanta’s most famous food franchises. Atlanta has been the birthplace of almost a dozen food franchises, including Chick-fil-A, Huddle House, Mellow Mushroom, Great American Cookies, Applebee's, Flying Biscuit and Moe's Southwest Grill. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram   

Even though this is a bye week for me, I wanted to share a bonus episode related to a special project that I got to do recently.  I worked with Canopy fellow Damius Smith on his piece "Built for Legacy". Collier Heights was designed by and for Black people, with the architectural design of every house telling a story. From American Small Houses, to ranch-style, to mid-century, each home focuses on the symbolic power of the neighborhood. https://canopyatlanta.org/2025/06/27/legacy-collier-heights-architecture/ Canopy Atlanta is a community journalism nonprofit founded in 2020. They collaborate with residents to tell stories about their communities, redefining who journalism is by and for. Even better, they pay and train residents to report alongside experienced journalists. And they’ve trained over 200 Atlantans so far.  

This week, we’re talking about the Lakewood Cutting - the story of the murder of Fred Thompson. I’ve said a million times that I’m not a fan of true crime, but centuries-old murders in Atlanta’s past seem to have worked their way into my heart.  But this week’s story isn’t just a murder story, this is a story of an abduction, self defense, secret orders, ransom notes and the far and wide reach of the Ku Klux Klan. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

This week, I am SO excited to share a conversation that I had with Marty Padgett about this new book, The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS. Sodomy laws had been used to discriminate against queer people for centuries, but in 1986, the US Supreme Court ruled that the constitution did not guarantee a person the right to engage in homosexual conduct, even in the privacy of their own home. The case began with the arrest of Michael Hardwick and happened right here in Atlanta! A Night at the Sweet Gum Head https://martinpadgett.com   Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

This week, I am bringing you a short bonus story about the Bagby Family, mainly brothers William and Hubert, who were known throughout the Bolton area of Atlanta for living along the banks of the Chattahoochee River while evading arrest. In April of 1957, brothers Hubert and William - the “The Ghost” and “Cobb County Roosting Man” - were arrested. Police found them hiding in the chifforobes at their family home and they were charged with 13 counts of burglary and one count of larceny. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

This week, we’re talking about Roman Catholicism in Atlanta, mainly centered around the city’s historic Catholic churches from the 1850s through the 1950s. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

This week, I'm sharing the short history of "Miss Sepia Atlanta", Atlanta’s African American beauty pageant that ran from 1947 until 1963.   Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

This week, we’re talking about one of Atlanta’s most well-known attractions - it’s strip clubs. But why and how and when did we get this claim to fame? Why is Atlanta one of the few places that allows full nudity and alcohol? Why are the wings so good? Today we’re going to cover all of this and more; from the legislation battles to some of the iconic strip clubs from our history. Lustful Appetites book Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram 

This week, I am so excited to share an interview episode with Mike Ayling, who is the writer and researcher behind Birds of Kirkwood. We talked about the story of how he moved into his home Kirkwood, Robert Windsor Smith, Atlanta first amateur ornithologist and we talked about birding and the natural environment of Kirkwood 122 years ago.  Birds of Georgia Bird Fest Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram   

This week, we’re talking about Druid Hills - one of the most iconic Atlanta neighborhoods known for its housing stock and connection to the Olmsted landscape architecture firm. From Joel Hurt's idea through the most recent annexation; we are talking about historic houses, prominent residents and schools and churches.   Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram