‘This is something worth rallying for’: Summer Hill residents gather to save Olympic cauldron

There are many symbols of Atlanta’s history and mark on this country’s legacy. On the 30th anniversary of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, arguably the moment the world recognized Atlanta for what it was, is, and could be, there were conversations being had about moving a signature piece of Olympic history from its home. 

People held signs that read, “Don’t Move It” and “Save our Torch,” and took turns expressing their feelings about the plans to move the cauldron. 

The Olympic cauldron, first lit by the late globally recognized boxing legend Muhammad Ali in the summer of 1996 in Summerhill, may be removed from its tower home and placed in Centennial Olympic Park. Georgia State University and the University System of Georgia are behind the move, and did not reach out to local groups such as the Summerhill Neighborhood Development Corp., Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, and interested parties such as Columbus Ward. An original member of the community group SMP, acronym for the three neighborhoods that now surround the Olympic cauldron, Summerhill, Mechanicsville, and Peopletown, Ward was in attendance for the “Save Our Torch” rally in Summerhill on Monday night. 

Ward, like many other people, remembers the promises made to SMP residents when Atlanta landed the Summer Olympic bid in 1990. The level of displacement that occurred downtown in anticipation of and preparation for the Games changed Atlanta’s landscape. Many people use the fate of Techwood Homes as an example of displacement that took place more than 30 years ago. Ward said many promises were made but not kept. He doesn’t understand why come back to Summerhill to make changes that are not necessary.

“We tried to work this stuff out because we knew there would be something,” Ward said. “There were promises made to the neighborhood, and we just want them to keep their promise.” 

The fact that Summerhill is one of Atlanta’s longest-standing Black neighborhoods has made some of the people at the rally, most of whom were not Black, question the reasoning for moving the torch. A meeting with Georgia State officials and the Board of Regents was scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, but it was canceled. There are tentative plans to have the meeting after the Independence Day holiday. There has been no public explanation for the move yet.

“Who would have thought this would have been a conversation?” said Atlanta native and educator C. Delores Lee-Furlow. “This is something worth rallying for. Power to the people.” 

The back of Lee-Furlow’s t-shirt read, “Ask Me About My Hood.” 

Georgia State Representative Phil Olayele grabbed the microphone and faced the small crowd of people gathered under the Olympic torch. He told them that he came straight over from the State Capitol, where his fellow representatives were taking part in a redistricting special session. Olayele represents District 59, but wanted to be clear that Summerhill and, more specifically, the Olympic torch belonged to all Georgians and should not be moved.

“It’s who we are,” Olayele said. “So keep fighting and using your voice.” 

Olayele cited the large gatherings inside the State Capitol on the first day of redistricting, Wednesday, June 17, as an example of what people can accomplish when they are on the same page. 

Cheron Pitchford, the executive director of the Summerhill Neighborhood Development Corporation, believes the move says more about the disrespect for Summerhill’s residents and less about anything expansion plans Georgia State University may have.

“This is not a symbol, it’s a marker,” Pitchford said of the cauldron. “This is the actual place where this happened. It’s disrespectful to our community.” 

An older man leaned against a black SUV and watched the rally as people periodically walked over to him to pay their respects. Geoffrey Heard grew up in Elberton, Georgia, but moved to Summerhill as a young man to live with relatives. A member of the volunteer staff for the 1996 Summer Olympics, Ward dressed for the occasion, wearing his original Olympic straw hat and striped polo shirt. He was here before the torch was lit and has fond memories of the night Ali lit a torch, shining a bright light on his adopted home. 

“I think this is another opportunity for the power structure to take advantage of the community. A community that has been taken advantage of for years,” Heard said. “This community has suffered for so long, to remove this marker now, that’s like moving a piece of history.” 

Heard said that it doesn’t make any sense to remove historical markers. The plans do not include removing the bridge, which can be seen from miles away and includes golden Olympic rings. 

“Nothing against Centennial Olympic Park, but this is where the Olympics began,” Heard said. “To take the cauldron would be an insult to this community.”  

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