Filed under: News, Race and Civil Rights
Charles Johnson (pictured), the man credited with the making Atlanta's Sweet Auburn Springfest a major annual event for festivalgoers in the city, died this week of prostate cancer at the age of 70.
Johnson founded the event in 1993. The festival celebrates the rich history of Auburn Avenue, the social, business and cultural epicenter of black Atlanta during the days of segregation and the place where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born.
With the motto "Welcome to Sweet Auburn -- The Greatest Street on the Planet," the festival held every May recalled how the streets were home to more black educators, businessmen, politicians and tradesmen than any other street in the South.
Local attractions included Dr. King's birth home, the Apex Museum, the Atlanta Daily World newspaper building, the Atlanta Life Financial Group office (which was the second-largest black-owned insurance company in the nation), the Auburn Avenue Research Library and Ebenezer Baptist Church.
The Sweet Auburn corridor now includes the new Tyler Perry Studios, the King Center and Centennial Park.
Johnson was considered the unofficial "mayor of Sweet Auburn" and discovered the district, after moving south from Philadelphia in 1984.
Johnson worked as a vendor during the early days of the street fair but built the event by producing the festival in 1993.
The festival drew more than 500,000 people annually, and while it featured vendors, artisans and food vendors from around the region, it was probably best known for its music. Several stages featured music ranging from hip-hop to R&B to gospel and bluegrass.
The festival is credited with providing national exposure and launching the careers of Usher, Outkast and India Arie.