My first day in Atlanta was a strange sensation. Mainly because I only had one full day there and I’d only planned to find one interesting spot, then do a little gift shopping before my return to the UK. So I had time for a leisurely breakfast, get my camera kit together and head out at a most civilised time.

In an unremarkable building, on a nondescript pavement, sits a premises with links to not one, but at least three of history’s most defining periods and peoples. At 54 Hilliard St NE, Atlanta, sits The Madam CJ Walker Beauty Shoppe & Museum incorporating WERD radio station.

In 1906 and following marriage, Sarah Breedlove adopted the name Madam CJ Walker and began her own hair and cosmetics company specifically aimed at African American women. She’s listed in the Guinness World Records as the first self made black female millionaire. What makes this remarkable is that this was during a time where African Americans, let alone African American women, were not allowed to have economic or political parity with whites. Her story is sensational, from being the first born of her family NOT into slavery, to having an organised and extremely successful nationwide beauty business. This store is one of only two left standing of Madam CJ Walker’s Beauty Shoppes. Currently, there’s a four part Netflix production based on her life, called Self Made, starring Octavia Spencer. As with most things Hollywood, it’s ‘based on’ rather than full factual, but check it out, then check out her full story.

The second remarkable part of history this building holds, is WERD, the first African American owned radio station. Bought by entrepreneur, accountant and founder of Citizens Trust Bank, Jesse B. Blayton Sr, WERD started broadcasting on 3rd October 1949. Its mission was to produce programs that would benefit the African American community and create good will between the different races of the area.

Which leads me to the third historically important encounter this building has been a part of. Underneath the radio station was the offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Its president, would bash on his ceiling with a broomstick, letting the radio host know he wanted to make an announcement. The SCLC president was a certain Dr Martin Luther King Jr… He and the SCLC would utilise the WERD station to get mass attention from Atlanta’s African American community, spreading vital information and mobilising the civil rights movement.

I’d learned about this place while watching a YouTube video about photographer, actor and ex professional skateboarder, Jason Lee. He visited the store while in Atlanta and was saying how the graphic styling of Jazz album covers were integral to some of the design inspiration his skateboard deck company produces on their boards.

As I walked along the pavement, outside the shop and museum stood the unmistakable current owner. Ricci (pronounced ReeSee) De Forest, aka Ricci International, has owned the museum for around 26 years. He’d move around the US as a one man fashion and beauty creative whirlwind and ended up setting roots in Atlanta. He spotted 54 Hilliard St while cruising around the area looking for new salon premises. Soon after moving in, he discovered several beauty tools associated with the store when it was a Madam CJ Walker shop. A while later, a passing lady mentioned that the place also used to be WERD. With a passion, Ricci set about learning and then preserving everything he could with the location’s historical associations.

It’s hard to describe the feeling I got, crossing the threshold of such an important building. It holds an aura within and I’m not exaggerating when I say the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up the whole time I spent there. It’s like the building knows it’s significance in history and it needs you to realise and understand that. As well as the amazingly good vibes you get from this venue, the museum also has on display some of the less pleasant realities of African American life from decades past. Models and signs are dotted around the place with slogans such as “We serve coloureds take away only” and there’s a display of how segregation was enforced with different waiting areas, seating areas and styling areas. On one of the shelves, is a black and white sign, basically proclaiming how to avoid boosting the African American economy, by not buying their goods and not playing their music… One visitor to the museum while I was there asked Ricci if this sign had really been on display in some places? Ricci replied “Lady, that sign was in ALL the places”

If you didn’t realise already, sometimes we humans can be just a bit shit to one another. Learn and be better.

I ended up spending probably two hours in this intimate little place, talking and learning with Ricci and his son, just the three of us for quite a while. Ricci is probably the worlds biggest jazz fan and his collection of records, known as the ‘The Great Wall of Vinyl’ comprises more than 15’000 Lp’s, 45’s and 78’s from every decade they were created. If you can think of a Jazz, Blues or R&B record, Ricci probably has it in his collection. Visitors are allowed to view, handle and even play them on the available turntables. He truly is a giver and sharer of music love. Before Covid, Ricci realised that the older generations living in old peoples homes had lost the ability to connect with the music they’d grown up with, almost their very essence. So he’d go around to these homes with a turntable and speakers and play jazz and blues records, just to give these people the opportunity to hear the records as they remembered. Unsurprisingly the idea was a huge success.

Towards the end of my time there, Ricci agreed for me to take his portrait and then the three of us had photos taken together, including in Ricci’s classic VW Karmann Ghia, that was sat gleaming in the late summer sunshine of Georgia. It was an excellent way to spend a long lunchtime in Atlanta, with people who are so passionate about their music and preserving history too. I thoroughly recommend taking the opportunity to visit this little museum, simply to immerse yourself and enjoy Ricci’s wealth of knowledge and passion.

www.madamecjwalkermuseum.com

Join me next time if you will, where I find I have a spare half a day before my flight home.