MARTA honored Atlanta Civil Rights icons with specially designed buses in 2024 as part of a year-long celebration of Black History.
“MARTA history is Black history,” said MARTA general manager and CEO Collie Greenwood.
Over the past year, the transit authority celebrated icons including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Juanita Jones Abernathy, Congressman John Lewis and Lillian Miles Lewis, Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery and Evelyn Gibson Lowery, and Ambassador Andrew Young.
“This yearlong celebration was an opportunity to celebrate the profound contributions the Black community has made to our transit agency, Atlanta, and the world,” Greenwood said.
“As we honor the past, we remain committed to ensuring transit is a place where all are welcome, and much like the Civil Rights movement, where inclusion and equality serve as the foundation for opportunity.”
A year in review
The Dr. King and Coretta Scott King bus was revealed on Jan. 4 at the King Center as part of the King Holiday observance, with the bus also joining the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on Jan. 15.
In early April, at the end of Women’s History Month, a bus was dedicated to Jones.
On Sept. 12, MARTA dedicated a bus in honor of John Lewis and Lillian Miles Lewis with a ceremony at College Park Station.
Lewis was a key figure in the original Freedom Rides that desegregated the interstate bus system.
He was also a steadfast advocate for MARTA, recognizing the vital role public transportation plays in creating opportunities for all.
On October 6, the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery and Evelyn Gibson Lowery bus was unveiled at the Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Institute for Justice & Human Rights.
Rev. Dr. Lowery, who served on the MARTA Board for 24 years, including four as chairman, played a crucial role in establishing MARTA’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program, ensuring that minority businesses benefited from the region’s transit investments.
The Civil Rights Icons bus series ended in late November with a dedication to Young.
The ceremony featured remarks from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and former mayors Keisha Lance Bottoms, Kasim Reed, Shirley Franklin, and Bill Campbell.
During his time in the House of Representatives, Young secured federal funding for MARTA and continued to support the system throughout his tenure as Atlanta’s mayor from 1982 to 1990.
This year, all five specially designed buses have been seen throughout MARTA’s service area, participating in community events and local celebrations. A new bus honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King will be unveiled in January 2025 for the King holiday. Remaining in service will be the Abernathy, Lewis, Lowery, and Young buses.