Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn

An enriching opportunity to learn more about Atlanta.

Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn: An Evening with Author Gary Pomerantz” was held May 31, 2018, the night before the Grand Opening of Constellations. The evening was an enriching opportunity to learn more about Atlanta, and about ourselves. With a cool, cultural and literary crowd of more than 200 on hand at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Sweet Auburn — the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement — fans of Pomerantz and of history learned and shared and celebrated together the richness of their life and times by reflecting upon the life and times of others.

An Evening with Author Gary Pomerantz

Vintage typewriter on a rustic wooden table with a dark background.

Two men in suits hugging at an indoor event, with large windows and other people in the background.

Group of people gathered in a modern brick-walled lounge with large windows, sitting and standing around talking, with books and drinks on tables.

Author Gary Pomerantz enjoys the company of friends in the North Star Library. The evening would progress into what became a great night for Atlanta with a packed house of 200 + listening to Gary and the AJC’s Bill Rankin talk race and history, pragmatism and promise, and ultimately a call for public art that stirred the crowd.

The book, Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn, is the definitive history of race in Atlanta, and features two prominent Atlanta families; the Ivan Allens — mayor during the Civil Rights Movement, and the John Wesley Dobbs — grandfather to Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first African-American mayor. The program called upon Pomerantz to speak about Atlanta and history and about writing Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn.

Close-up of gold foil stickers with decorative text and star symbols on white backing, partially overlapping.

The book, Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn, is the definitive history of race in Atlanta, and features two prominent Atlanta families; the Ivan Allens — mayor during the Civil Rights Movement, and the John Wesley Dobbs — grandfather to Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first African-American mayor. The program called upon Pomerantz to speak about Atlanta and history and about writing Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn.

A man in a suit and glasses is seated at a table, speaking into a microphone held by a young woman. The woman has short blonde hair and is wearing a burgundy jacket. There are bottles, glasses, and equipment on the table, with a plain wall and a ligh

Stack of orange books titled "Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn" by Gary M. Pomerantz, displayed on a table inside a bookstore or cafe.

A man in a beige suit with a light blue tie and dark brown shoes smiling as he walks out of a glass building, holding a book. A person on the right is taking a photo or video of him.

Two women sitting at a conference table with papers and pens, engaged in conversation, in a room with a gray staircase and railing in the background.

Smiling woman with black hair and a beige blazer talking with a man with dark hair and a blue blazer in a conference or social event setting. Blurred background with other people and signs.

After, his good friend, AJC reporter Bill Rankin, joined the conversation for an on-stage interview, followed by a Q&A, and then a book signing in the lobby. A highlight of the evening was an impromptu “family portrait” of the Dobbs-Jackson and Ivan Allen families on stage and in the spotlight to celebrate this historic occasion.