Unveiling the 1906 Commemorative Mural

On September 27, 2025, the Atlanta community gathered for the unveiling of the 1906 Commemorative Mural. Located at 1297 McDonough Boulevard Southeast in Historic South Atlanta (on the Carver Neighborhood Market building), the new mural commemorates a significant yet often overlooked piece of Atlanta history.

From September 22 to 25, 1906, a white mob terrorized Black communities throughout Atlanta. The men attacked Black men, women, and children. They destroyed and set fire to businesses and property. When the riots finally ended, dozens were dead, hundreds were injured or unaccounted for, and entire communities were devastated.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights commissioned Atlanta-based artist Fabian Williams to design and paint the mural. What began as a three-month assignment for Fabian turned into a 15-month passion project. His work memorializes the victims and survivors of the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre—honoring their courage and resilience—while also calling on Atlanta to remember and reflect upon the four-day riot and its aftermath.

Fabian’s 1906 Commemorative Mural is intense, eliciting polarized reactions. The outer images depict stoic Black citizens reconstructing their homes, shaking hands with white citizens, and looking proudly toward the future. The central imagery—based on the 1906 edition of Le Petit Journal—shows angry white mobs, Black men aiming weapons at an unseen attacker, and a white man choking a Black man.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights unveiled the mural on the 119th anniversary of the Atlanta Race Massacre. Those who attended the event were asked to “reflect, connect, and take part in Atlanta’s ongoing journey toward healing.”