“Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964” is now available for streaming at pbs.org. Visit the site and search for Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964.

 NPR Interview with Dr. Georgianne Thomas: 1/17/22

About The Documentary

Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964

“Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964” is an award-winning, independent documentary about women in the Class of 1964 at Spelman College, who participated in the largest coordinated, series of civil rights protests in Atlanta’s history as college freshmen. As young women – sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen years old – these willing souls were some of the foot soldiers of the Atlanta University Center who carried the Atlanta Student Movement through relentless picketing, sit-ins, kneel-ins, and other non-violent demonstrations. Their bold activism is an Atlanta story that helped change the world. For decades, the faces in the crowd have gone unnamed; their voices unheard. Who were these young women? What motivated these students who had just completed high school to get involved in such a movement? What in their family background prepared them for such an undertaking? How did their activism as young college students impact the remainder of their college matriculation and the rest of their lives? These questions are answered in “Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964.”

Production Crew:

Creator and Executive Producer: Dr. Georgianne Thomas

Producer, Director, Writer: Alvelyn Sanders

Camera: Mark Kendall, Fletcher Holmes, Andrew Taylor

Editor: Tom RocheMusic: William Westbrooks

Post Production: Crawford Media Services, Inc.

Foot Soldiers: C’64 Gallery

Meet some of the “foot soldiers” featured in the documentary and other leaders who help tell the Atlanta story that changed the world.

Please Note: Images may not be reproduced, copied, or distributed.

Video Library

Contact Us

Alvelyn Sanders-Swafford

footsoldiers1964@gmail.com