In honor of Black History Month, the Oak Ridge History Museum will be hosting “Atomic Integration," a photography exhibition focusing on African-American life during the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The exhibit will open on Friday, February 8, and will be open every Friday and Saturday during the month of February.
The photo exhibit was developed by the National Park Service, in partnership with Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, and Explore Oak Ridge.
The images displayed in the photo exhibit illustrate the experiences and contributions of African-Americans during the Manhattan Project period during the 1940s in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Often overlooked in our remembrance of one of the world’s largest scientific undertakings that produced the atomic bomb are the works of a people who, in spite of discrimination, met the challenge and changed the course of history.
The photographs were taken by James Edward Westcott, a renowned photographer who worked for the United States government in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. Westcott was one of the few people permitted to have a camera in the Oak Ridge area during the Manhattan Project.
The Oak Ridge History Museum is located at:
102 Robertsville Road
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
For more information, please call Manhattan Project National Historical Park, at
(865) 482-1942.
Tags: african-american history wwii cultural history
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
