Today we hit one of the locations that I had been looking forward to the most on this trip: the MLK Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an honor to be able to visit the location where he grew up and was ultimately laid to rest, along with his wife Coretta Scott King.
Arriving at the King Center in Atlanta, GA
By the way, in case you haven’t made your way over there, you can check
out the “links” page for the links to most of the spots we’re stopping at.
This has been a public service announcement. 🙂
Much of what I know of Dr. King is limited to what’s in your basic history books and classes, and my exposure to his speeches and sermons have been mostly limited to the big ones that everyone is familiar with. The more I hear him speak and the more I learn, the more impressed I become with him. His ability to command the attention of a room or a crowd without having to sugarcoat the message was/is astounding.
During our driving time today we listened to one of Dr. King’s sermons, “A Knock at Midnight”, and watched the History Channel documentary “King”. Myself and Bernardo were discussing that one of the things that stood out to both of us that we had never been aware of was an image and a mention in the documentary about Dr. King playing pool with people in the various areas he would go to. We both felt that this is one of the many reasons that he was such a driving force; by spending time building these relationships with people where others may have seen it as a waste of time, he was able to reach and inspire people who might not have moved otherwise.
Having recently celebrated my 26th birthday, I was also interested to learn that he took over the pulpit over the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church when he was 26 years old and shortly thereafter became the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. There is no way I could ever conceive of doing something like that and yet he handled it like a champ and was obviously blessed with remarkable results.
The sanctuary of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where MLK co-pastored with his father
To sum it all up (well, the first half of the day anyway), I thoroughly enjoyed this stop but unfortunately didn’t come close to seeing all there is to see. If you happen to be planning a trip, I would suggest taking it all in over a couple of days…it is well-worth it!
Lunchtime…
“What’ll ya have, what’ll ya have, what’ll ya have!!!”
For lunch we stopped at The Varsity, which I had not heard of prior to today but which is apparently a pretty big draw and is firmly embedded in the fabric of the local culture. I was told that it’s been featured on TV (I forget which channel) and that if you’re in Atlanta you’re pretty much required to stop there. I will say that it is definitely the most impressive fast food spot I’ve ever seen, and if I were a local I’d probably be in there every day ’cause the atmosphere was awesome! 🙂
Bernardo gettin' his chat on with Dr. Eskew
From there we proceeded to Georgia State University to hear from two speakers. The first was Dr. Glenn Eskew, author of the book “But for Birmingham”, and the second was Mrs. Juanita Abernathy, wife of Dr. Ralph David Abernathy. Both were excellent speakers and being able to interact with Mrs. Abernathy was a priceless experience. Most if not all of the stories we ever hear are from text books or documentaries, but she was there and served on the front line doing what had to be done to secure the rights and privileges that I enjoy today. Safe to say that it was a pretty amazing day!
The Blount family with Mrs. Juanita Abernathy
Awesomeness, Valerian. I cannot be jealous of any nice places you are staying, because I sure wish I could be on this trip with you. I’m sure you would have to drag me away from all the wonderful places you are describing, and I’m sorry you can’t just have time to take it all in. What a wonderful trip! What a wonderful opportunity to hear the mostly unheard speeches, and to talk to real people who lived through the times we can only read about, and who were active in bringing freedom to all people in the U.S. I also know that you have it in you to do whatever God asks of you. When seeking His will, you can do hard things. I’ve always believed that. So glad, again, you have this opportunity. Rise up!