Haniyfa A. Ali photographs of the Lightning neighborhood
Scope and Contents
This collection contains images taken by community activist and resident Haniyfa A. Ali and University of Georgia preservationist John Kissane documenting the Lightning neighborhood during the period in which residences and other structures were demolished. Areas documented include Rock, Tyler, Mangum, Haynes, Foundry, Thurmond, Northside, and Mayes Streets. Several images show areas surrounding the Georgia World Congress Center. Of special note are images of historic churches including Mt. Zion Holiness Church of God, Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, and Amanda Flipper AME Church.
Dates
- approximately 1988-1989
Creator
- Ali, Haniyfa A. (Person)
- Kissane, John (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This material is protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.
Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.
Biographical / Historical
Located west of downtown Atlanta, the Lightning neighborhood was one of the earliest communities in Atlanta, with predominantly Black working-class residents. Due to its status as a predominantly Black, low-income neighborhood, it was one of the last areas in Atlanta to have paved roads and electric power. The neighborhood was razed starting in the late 1980s and residents displaced because of the expansion of the Georgia World Congress Center and construction of the Georgia Dome.
Extent
189 image(s) (95 black and white negatives and 94 black and white photographic prints)
Language
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged alphabetically by titles supplied by staff.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
This collection has been digitized and is available at: https://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/digital/collection/p17222coll43
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift, 1989
Bias in Description
As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete.
Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.
Processing Information
This collection was processed in 2025.
- African Americans -- Relocation -- Georgia -- Atlanta -- History
- Churches -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- City planning -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Discrimination in housing -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Land use -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Lightning (Atlanta, Ga.)
- Neighborhoods -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Relocation (Housing) -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Residential streets
- Title
- Haniyfa A. Ali photographs of the Lightning neighborhood
- Author
- Kate Daly
- Date
- January 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository