Groundbreaking Atlanta businesswoman Lottie Watkins honored with historical marker
ATLANTA - Lottie Watkins, a groundbreaking Atlanta businesswoman and civil rights activist, has been celebrated in her hometown with a new historical marker.
Born in 1918 to a blues and jazz musician, Watkins lived in Atlanta all her life. In 1960, at the age of 42, Watkins took a major step and started her own business, Lottie Watkins Enterprises, becoming the first Black woman in the city to be a licensed real estate broker.
During her decades in the industry, Watkins bought her own building on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard. She ran her company until he retired in 2009 at the age of 82,
Outside of business, Watkins actively participated in the civil rights movement and served in the Georgia House of Representatives for three years.
Watkins passed away in 2017, but the city is honoring her memory with a marker in front of the building that bears her name.
You can visit the new street marker at 1066 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in southwest Atlanta.