ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A mural along Andrew Young International Boulevard in downtown Atlanta tells the story of the Atlanta Braves’ first Opening Day parade in 1966, celebrating 60 years since the team arrived in the city.
The mural’s canvas is the American Hotel, where some Braves players stayed in the segregated South.
“The American Hotel, when it opened, was the first racially integrated hotel in Atlanta,” said Nina Dolgin, program manager for art and activation at Downtown Atlanta Inc., which commissioned the mural.
The artwork depicts the hours before the Braves played their first game in Atlanta, with Dan Schneider, Hank Aaron, Chi-Chi Olivo and Cecil Upshaw riding down Peachtree Street, surrounded by fans of different races.
Muralist Muhammad Yungai said the work uses “one-point perspective.”
“When you look down a street and see all the lines go towards one point,” Yungai said.
The piece highlights the first vestiges of racial harmony and how the Braves’ arrival marked a turning point for the region.
“It kind of desegregated the South itself with the Atlanta Braves being the first Major League team in the South,” Yungai said.
The mural also includes nods to the past, such as old department stores that lined downtown Atlanta.
For all the detail that went into the work, Yungai said he wants people to look past the beauty and look down the same road the 1966 Braves did.
“I actually want the beauty to be the second thing people notice when they stop,” Yungai said. “This is how excited Atlanta was about the Braves.”
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