Suggested Discussion Topics for Book Clubs
Prepared by Rebecca Burns, Author of
Rage in the Gate City: The Story of the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot
The Riot’s Place in History
- When did you first learn about the Atlanta riot?
- How did you react when you heard about it?
- Would you agree or disagree with my statement that, “the riot has been sanitized or omitted from many of the city’s histories”?
- Some bookstores have cataloged this book in African-American History sections and others have put it in Georgia History or Southern History. Where do you think it belongs?
- A commission exploring the 1898 race riot in Wilmington, North Carolina, released a report in 2006 that recommended reparations to descendants of African-American victims. Do you think a similar study should be conducted in Atlanta?
Relating the Riot to Today
- One of the elements that contributed to the mass hysteria and fueled mob violence was a political campaign that drew on white fears of blacks. Do you see similar themes in elections today?
- Another element of racial tension in 1906 Atlanta was white resentment of African-American economic and cultural achievement. Is there any parallel between that tension and what we see today regarding immigrants to the United States?
- An additional major contributing factor to the riot was the sensational newspaper coverage. While mainstream media today may not use the same, blatant racist tone as newspapers in 1906, what kind of media bias do you see?
- It is shocking that such brutal violence—stabbing, vivisection, stoning—could have occurred in downtown Atlanta in 1906. The word “unthinkable” is often used. How unthinkable is it that something like this could happen again?
- The book’s introduction cites W.E.B. Du Bois’ observations about the social and residential segregation of Atlantans and Southerners. How much or how little have things changed since then?