In a nation which too often takes its rights for granted, it’s good to reach out and touch a time when, for an awful lot of us, those rights were denied. Puts things in perspective.
One of the best places in the country to get that sort of perspective is Atlanta. Make sure the kids are old enough to understand, carve out the better part of a day and take the family to see:
Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn Historic District. This was the epicenter of African American culture and commerce in the city. Designated a National Historic Landmark, the area has been undergoing restoration, a revitalization emanating out from the birth home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King lived here for his first dozen formative years. Tours are first-come, first-served. June through August they begin every half-hour. You can’t make reservations, and tours are limited to 15 folks each.
If King began his life on Auburn Avenue, it flowered at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he was ordained a minister at the age of 19. In 1960, he became co-pastor here, and stood alongside his father “Daddy” King. His life came full circle here in 1968, as the modest brick structure became the place which held his funeral.
King’s final resting place, and that of his wife Coretta Scott King, is the King Center. Pay homage here, and linger a while longer at the exhibit of the man whose philosophy shaped King’s non-violent Civil Rights tactics, Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi’s concept of Satyagraha, or soul force, animated Martin Luther King, Jr.’s quest for Civil Rights throughout his all-too-brief life.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: intenteffect)
