The Foot Soldier Project provides an historical context for students, educators, policymakers, and the public to study civil rights and social justice issues as the nation becomes more racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse. The project’s archival and documentary materials enhance understanding of issues of race, equity, and social reform in Georgia and the South over the past century and today. The goal of these endeavors is to participate in shaping social reform and public policy throughout the state and nation, and specifically to play a key role in developing policy related to affirmative action, diversity, and equity.

The Project includes an inter-disciplinary team of scholars who will conduct extensive archival research and develop social and institutional histories. These scholars will collect, present, and preserve these vital histories to provide a research infrastructure for those conducting archival and documentary research on the civil rights movement. Further, the Project will facilitate interdisciplinary research on civil rights and social justice by students, cross-disciplinary scholars, and community members throughout the nation.