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Celebrating Dr. King January 17, 2015

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Kids Voice MLK Ideals Four-year-old Chris Brady Jr. recites a line from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech during his pre-k’s annual celebration of the civil rights icon’s birthday on Jan. 15. Chris and his classmates also dressed up as doctors, lawyers, firefighters and other careers made easier for African-Americans by King’s fight for voting and civil rights.

Greenforest McCalep’s 4-year-olds bring King’s legacy to life By Ken Watts

When 4-year-old kids channel Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his ideals, it’s easy for parents, friends and other spectators to beam with pride. That’s what happened for the third year at Greenforest McCalep Early Learning Center when pre-k students brought the legacy of the civil rights icon to life on his actual birthday, Jan. 15. During the program, organized by teachers Patricia Hightower, Cee Bee Burns, Jackie Carr and Phillis Porter, the cute 4-year-olds displayed their knowledge and appreciation of King’s inspirational words. They took to microphones that towered over them to recite excerpts from King’s famous speeches, writings, and his historic “I Have a Dream” address before a crowd of 300,000 at the 1963 March on Washington. The children donned white lab coats, astronaut helmets, firefighter gear, business suits and police uniforms to symbolize their career dreams and King’s role in the fight for equal opportunity that makes it easier for them to be anything they want.

Pre-k students at Greenforest McCalep Early Learning Center in Decatur donned clothing and gear to symbolize their career dreams at the program on Jan. 15.

Behind them on the stage were “Voting Rights for All” and “The Living Dream” posters made by their teachers. The pint-sized doctors, lawyers, firefighters and the like also recited from the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” and sang the freedom anthems “Freedom

Ring” and “Dr. King Had a Dream.” Cameras were everywhere as the audience of nearly 100 parents, friends and relatives captured the moment. Dr. Gail Mitchell-Shields, the Early Learning Center’s director, said the annual King presentation just keeps growing

in popularity. “It’s phenomenal that families come from all over the community to see this presentation,” she said. The students prepared for about two weeks, reading stories about King and watching videos and other activities about the civil rights movement. Mitchell-Shields said it’s important to give kids early exposure to the King legacy. “We work hard to show parents that children in every home should be taught about King,” she said. “A lot of times they may hear grown-ups talking more about President Obama or celebrities, and Dr. King’s contributions can get lost in the pop culture noise. We want them to learn about how hard Dr. King worked to bring people together.” Dr. M.O. Clarke, the school’s headmaster, urged parents to answer King’s call to community service to create a personal heritage for their children. “King knew that the greatest gift you have is the package of talents that God has given you that should be shared to create a better community,” Clarke said.

By the numbers

1944

1983

1964

5.2

2000

The year when Martin Luther King Jr. began his studies at Morehouse College, following in the footsteps of his father, Martin Luther King Sr.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s age when he entered Morehouse College. He was admitted in September 1944 after his junior year in high school.

The year President Ronald Reagan signed legislation establishing the third Monday of January as the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday.

The year Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership of the civil rights movement.

The number of people in millions who visit the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The first year that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all 50 states.

King Holiday

CrossRoadsNews

January 17, 2015

“Once we’ve secured the intellectual property rights, we can move full speed with statue design and fundraising.”

King Commemorative Service to feature Alabama State U’s president Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd, the first female president of Alabama State University, will deliver the keynote address at the King Center’s 47th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Service on Jan. 19 at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The service marking King’s 86th birthday and the national holiday takes place in the Horizon Sanctuary beginning at 10 a.m. Actor David Oyelowo, who portrays King in the movie “Selma”; award-winning gospel artist Sandi Patty; and Mathilde Mukantabana, Rwanda ambassador to the United States, will be among the guests attending the service. Fox5 Atlanta will televise it live. King Center founder Coretta Scott King organized the first religious service commemorating King’s birthday in 1969 with the intention that it would become an annual tradition and the spiritual centerpiece of future observances. Boyd, an ordained itinerant elder in the

electorate during a time when blacks were systematically denied access to the ballot. King Center CEO Bernice King said Boyd’s Gwendolyn Boyd David Oyelowo Sandi Patty M. Mukantabana willingness to African Methodist Episcopal Church, has serve as the keynote speaker represents a been Alabama State’s president since Febru- continuation of the relationship between the ary 2014. She has served on the President’s King family and the university that was so Advisory Commission on Educational Excel- crucial to the civil rights movement. “Many people overlook the inseparable lence for African-Americans and as the 22nd national president of 250,000-member Delta connection between my family and Alabama State University. My father used the Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. The King Center said her participation university’s library while completing the in the annual commemorative service will dissertation requirements for the Ph.D. at be steeped in history and irony as the nation Boston University in 1954,” she said. “Almost prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of two years later, the university’s president, Dr. the passage of the Voting Rights Act – land- Harper Councill Trenholm, provided a safe mark legislation that expanded the national haven for my father in the official residence

on the campus after the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church parsonage was bombed during the early phase of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.” Events in Alabama, particularly in Selma and Montgomery, the latter being the state’s capital and location of Alabama State, exposed to the nation the constitutional contradictions that characterized the South’s disregard for the Fifteenth Amendment. Alabama State alumni, including the Revs. Ralph D. Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth and Fred Reese, were on the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s steering committee that worked alongside King during the planning of the 54-mile Selma-toMontgomery march. Program participants also include federal, state and local elected officials; social change advocates; community leaders; and public figures from the arts, education and the faith community. For more information, call 404-526-8961.

State negotiating with King family for use of his image for statue By Ken Watts

The statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., approved by legislators for the Georgia State Capitol, is still a ways off from installation. Organizers have a spot picked out for the statue, but Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus), who is acting as liaison between the governor, state and the King Center, said they are still in talks with the King Center’s Intellectual PropMartin L. King Jr. erties Management Group for permission to use King’s likeness. The Intellectual Properties Management Group controls the legal rights to King’s image. Smyre said that legal hurdle has to be cleared before the project can move forward. “It’s a slow process but I don’t expect a problem,” he said on Jan. 7. “Once we’ve secured the intellectual property rights, we can move full speed with statue design and fundraising.” Smyre, who co-sponsored King Monu-

ment Bill 1080 with Rep. Tyrone Brooks (D-Atlanta) in the 2014 General Assembly, declined to identify officials involved in the talks. Smyre, who has served 40 years in the state Legislature, said “there is no timeline” yet for fundrais- Calvin Smyre ing, choosing an artist, completion of the project, or any of the other key details. The one thing that he is clear about is where he would like the statue to be placed – on a grassy area near the Capitol building’s east entrance on Capitol Avenue. Smyre, who is known as the “dean of the House,” noticed the spot while touring the Capitol grounds recently with officials from the governor’s office and the Georgia Building Authority. He said the open area to the left of the steps exiting the building would be ideal. “It’s a nice area where the monument could be angled so it could be seen from Martin Luther King Drive,” Smyre said. The spot also faces the new Liberty Plaza

assembly area that is in the final stages of construction across the street from the Capitol’s east entrance. The plaza is replacing a 60-year-old parking deck that was demolished. Smyre said he plans to Tyrone Brooks recommend the Capitol Avenue location to the Georgia Capitol Arts Standards Commission and to the Georgia Building Authority. Brooks said the placement of the monument at the Capitol near MLK Drive could be powerfully symbolic. “The statue would be positioned so it also appears to look toward Auburn Avenue, where King was born just a few miles away and where he and his wife, Coretta Scott King, are entombed,” he said. King, an Atlanta native, won international acclaim for his leadership of the U.S. civil rights movement. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968 at age 39. The monument bill to place a statue of King somewhere on the grounds “as soon

as is practical” passed the House 173-3 on March 3 in a rare show of bipartisanship in the Legislature. The Georgia Senate voted 49-1 on March 12. Gov. Nathan Deal signed the law on April 29. A portrait of King hangs inside the Capitol building, but there is no other memorial to him in or around the General Assembly. A bust of King is in the U.S. Congress in Washington. When the statue is installed, King will be the first African-American honored with a monument at the Capitol. Smyre said there is no price tag yet on the monument but that it will be built with private funds. The installation of the statue is part of a $17 million face lift to create a “front door” to the Capitol on Washington Street. Liberty Plaza on the other side will have enough green space to hold rallies for up to 3,000 people. Smyre said the King monument planners hope to meet in late January or early February to discuss how best to move the project forward.

CrossRoadsNews

January 17, 2015

King Holiday

“We’ve been busy in the vineyard working in Ferguson and other places around the country promoting my father’s message.”

Daughter says King’s nonviolent message still relevant today By Ken Watts

As the nation observes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with volunteer work, parades and speeches, his daughter says deadly violence by police against unarmed young AfricanAmericans, the recent slayings of two New York City police officers, and terrorism around the world make her father’s nonviolent legacy more relevant than ever. “Violence does not want to pass on quietly,” said the Rev. Bernice King, CEO of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. “Violence is still with us, but it’s struggling for survival and there’s a growing interest in the alternative.” The alternative of which she speaks is nonviolence, the ideology espoused and practiced by her father, who, had he lived, would have celebrated his 86th birthday on Jan. 15. The King Center, founded in 1968 by King’s late wife, Coretta Scott King, in her Atlanta home shortly after his assassination on April 4, 1968, is observing the civil rights icon’s birthday with a range of events. The 2015 theme is “Remember, Celebrate, Act: King’s Legacy of Courage for Our World.” The center actively works to encourage and develop young activists who are committed to carrying on the tradition of peaceful conflict resolution. During a Jan. 8 news conference kicking off the two weeks of activities celebrating her father, Bernice King said the center has been busy during the turbulent year 2014 teaching nonviolent protest techniques. On Jan. 6, it hosted an “Intergenerational Dialogue” between civil rights veterans and 300 young activists who learned the methods that worked in the movement in 1950s and ’60s. This year’s celebration culminates on Jan. 19, the national King holiday, with the annual King Day Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King was co-pastor with his father before becoming leader of the civil rights movement, and the King Day parade from downtown Atlanta to the King Historic District on Auburn Avenue. His daughter, one of his three surviving children, said the King Center is proud that the next generation has risen up to let their voices be heard. “They have been very persistent in their protests against

The Rev. Bernice King says there is great demand for nonviolent solutions to today’s social issues, hence the theme for this year’s King Day observance is “Remember, Celebrate, Act: King’s Legacy of Courage for Our World.”

systemic racism and economic inequities,” she said. After a St. Louis County grand jury declined on Aug. 9, 2014, to indict white Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown and the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, at the hands of white police officers in New York on July 17, a coalition of student leaders from the Atlanta University Center and Emory and Georgia State universities launched #It’sBiggerThanYou to organize several Atlanta demonstrations. The protests drew thousands of people to downtown Atlanta. The killings touched off weeks of sometimes violent protests across the country. On Dec. 20, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, a man with a history of mental illness, shot and killed two New York officers after a grand jury declined to indict officers in the Garner case. Bernice King said King Center volunteers traveled to Ferguson, Mo., four times since T:10.5” August to ease tensions after the Michael Brown shooting. She said the feedback they got tells

them they can nudge people toward nonviolent protest and help contain the destruction and keep it from spreading. “We worked with about 80 law enforcement, business leaders, the faith community and gangs about Nonviolence 365, our initiative that teaches my father’s philosophy and inspires participants to choose nonviolence as a lifestyle,” she said. Over time, King said that participants in the Nonviolence 365 sessions will become ambassadors, facilitators and trainers who will spread the message of nonviolent resolution of conflicts to others. She said a Ferguson gang leader who went through training is working to get 300 other young men and women trained. She’s noticed a growing demand for nonviolent solutions to today’s social issues. “So we’ve been busy in the vineyard working in Ferguson and other places around the country promoting my father’s message,” King said.

The weapons of a movement.

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The power of peaceful protest. Fifty years after the Selma to Montgomery March, we still remember the leadership of the man who marched his way into history. Comcast celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by honoring those who continue to march in his shoes.

Visit celebrateblacktv.com ©20 ©201 20 01 0 15 C Co om mca mcas ca castt.. Alll rright igh ight ght g htts re h r serv se sser er erved e ed. e d

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Shermantown is a historically black neighborhood within the Stone Mountain Historic District named for Union Gen. William T. Sherman. GPC students, staff and faculty will do King Day Service projects in Decatur, Clarkston and Stone Mountain on Jan. 19

Five service projects for GPC Georgia Perimeter College students, staff and faculty will be volunteering in the Clarkston, Stone Mountain Park and at the Mountain View Personal Care Home in Decatur for their annual MLK Day of Service projects. The theme of the day of events is “Be a Service Superhero.” In Clarkston, college volunteers will clean up along North Indian Creek Drive and Memorial Drive and other sites and remove kudzu behind the Clarkston Community Center and Market Street. The projects, which start at 9 a.m., also will launch the first in a series of community conversations using a format called World Cafe. The Clarkston Community Center, at 951 N. Indian Creek Drive, is hosting the World Cafe, which begins at 11:15 a.m. Georgia Perimeter says the highly publicized killing of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Mo., and New York last year show

that healing is needed around aspects of race and culture and that residents can continue the work of building the Beloved Community of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At Mountain View, located at 3675 Kensington Road, volunteers will work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to improve the personal care home for residents. At Stone Mountain Park and the college’s Decatur Campus Community Garden, GPC volunteers will work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help maintain native plant populations. The community garden is at 3251 Panthersville Road. To sign up for the projects and for more information, visit http://newsroom.gpc. edu/stories/sign-volunteer-mlk-day-service or contact Mary Elizabeth Tyler-Boucebci at the Georgia Perimeter College QEP office at 678-891-3174. For more information on the World Cafe, visit www.theworldcafe.com/ leadership.html.

Volunteers to clean historic Shermantown Cemetery Residents of Stone Mountain Village and others can help clean up historic Shermantown Cemetery on Jan. 19 as a King National Day of Service project. The 19th-century cemetery is overrun by trees and foliage. The cleanup takes place from 9 a.m. to noon. Stone Mountain Steve Wells City Council member Steve Wells is encouraging residents to participate. “We would like to spend a few hours honoring the message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by working together as a community to clean up this historic resting place,” said Wells, who represents Post 2. Participants are urged to bring gloves,

clippers and water, and boots are recommended. Shermantown is a historically black neighborhood within the Stone Mountain Historic District. It is named for Union Gen. William T. Sherman who camped there on his March to the Sea, and many slaves followed the Army to freedom. The former slave shantytown features small frame houses on small lots, narrow streets and community landmarks such as churches and stores. The Shermantown Cemetery is at 5510 Stillhouse Road in Stone Mountain Village. For more information, contact Steve Wells at stonemountainwells@gmail.com or 803-447-1632 or Mechel McKinley at mmckinley@stonemountaincity.org or 770-498-8984, Ext. 137.

January 17, 2015

Dr. Martin Luth

A DAY ON – NO

Parades in South DeKalb, downto Marches in South DeKalb and downtown Atlanta will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 19, the 30th national holiday honoring his memory and ideals. Community, civic, faith-based, fraternal and service organizations and school and college groups will march in the 13th annual DeKalb NAACP Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Decatur. In downtown Atlanta, hundreds will march down Auburn Avenue from Peachtree Street to Jackson Street. The NAACP march will be along portions of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway to MLK Jr. High Reggie Johnson School at 3991 Snapfinger Road/MLK Parkway in Lithonia. Former NBA player Reggie Johnson of the 1983 World Champions Philadelphia 76ers and WSB-TV news reporter Tom Jones will be grand Tom Jones marshals. Marching bands from MLK Jr., Stone Mountain, Clarkston, Cedar Grove and Cross Keys high schools will perform. The parade kicks off from the parking lot of Green Pastures Christian Ministries

at 12:30 p.m. It culminates with a rally at the high school. Marchers will begin lining up at 10:30 a.m. at Green Pastures. The church is at 5455 Flat Shoals Parkway in Decatur. For more information, contact Sarah CopelinWood at schoolsandcommunity@yahoo.com.

Outdoor projects at Panola Mountain Fans of the great outdoors can help beautify Panola Mountain State Park on Jan. 19 as a Hands On Atlanta Day of Service project. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will spread mulch, remove invasive plants and clean mud from signs and fences, and paint picnic tables. The park is a 100-acre granite outcrop in Stockbridge. It is similar to Stone Mountain but smaller and more pristine. Park visitors can see the outcrop and its rare ecosystem just as it looked centuries ago. Panola Mountain State Park is part of the

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and is maintained by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Volunteers must be at least 8 years old with adult supervision. Court-ordered volunteers are permitted to serve. The project is partially accessible for wheelchair users. Full opportunity address and directions will be sent by email after sign-up. To sign up, visit http://www.handsonatlanta. org/mlkday2015.

Millennials Courage in Action for young adults Young adults from across metro Atlanta will participate in the Millennials Courage in Action Service Project on Jan. 19 as part of the King Day observance. They will engage in “Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous

people,” a three-hour project illustrating the first principle of nonviolence. For more information, contact Vonetta West at vwest@thekingcenter.org or 404526-8972.

Honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a Day of Service “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Yours in service. Larry Johnson, DeKalb County Commissioner, District 3 www.facebook.com/DeKalbCountyDistrict3CommLJohnson

her

King Jr. Day

OT A DAY OFF

own Atlanta honor MLK Groups and individuals should line up at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 for the DeKalb NAACP parade in Decatur. The downtown Atlanta march begins at 2 p.m. at Peachtree Street and Xernona Clayton Way.

Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews

CrossRoadsNews

January 17, 2015

Children 6 and older and their families can write down their dream, drop it into the “Dreamin’” jar and pick from a basket of prizes.

Clean, beautify grounds Celebrate the Dreamer at Fairington Elementary Individuals and groups can help beautify the grounds of Fairington Elementary School in Lithonia on Jan. 19. The MLK Community Day of Service project takes place from 8 a.m. to noon. Volunteers are needed to rake leaves, cut grass, trim hedges, landscape and pick up litter. Cleaning supplies and light refreshments will be provided. Fairington Elementary is at 5505 Philip Bradley Drive. For more information, contact Terri Webb at FairingtonCares@yahoo.com or 678-676-8743 or 314-363-0469.

‘I Have a Dream’ activity at Lithonia-Davidson Library Families can celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision with an “I Have a Dream” activity at Lithonia-Davidson Library on Jan. 20 and Jan. 22. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., children 6 years and older and their families can write down their dream, drop it into the “Dreamin’” jar and pick from a basket of prizes. Funding is provided by the Friends of the Lithonia-Davidson Library. The library is at 6821 Church St. For more information, call 770-482-3820.

On Jan. 19, the nation will observe the 30th Martin Luther King Jr. Day with volunteer work, parades and speeches. The national holiday celebrates the 86th birthday of King, who was born on Jan. 15, 1929. The Baptist minister led the 1960s civil rights movement that opposed segregation and fought for voting and civil rights for AfricanAmericans. King, who grew up on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. He was 39. He was in that city to support garbage workers fighting unfair working conditions and low pay. King Day, the third Monday in January, was first celebrated in 1986. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in the year 2000.

March ends in rally at King Center The downtown Atlanta King Holiday March and Rally begins at 2 p.m. at Peachtree Street and Xernona Clayton Way. It will conclude with a rally in front of the King Center. For more information, contact Jamida Orange at mlkmarchcommittee@yahoo.com or 770-5601959.

Decatur school service project Volunteers will help spruce up Columbia Elementary School in Decatur on Jan. 19 as a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service project with Hands On Atlanta. Volunteers will clean students’ desks and chairs; mulch flower beds; clean the courtyard; build compost boxes; and paint parking lot lines, the front marquee, and the front bench. They also will build a closet in the parent resource room. The project takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The nonprofit Hands On Atlanta promotes King Day as “A Day On Not a Day Off ” and provides opportunities for community improvement at local schools, community cleanups and raised gardens as well as an essay challenge in which each school will select the winner of an MLK essay contest to read at the service site on MLK Day. The essay topic demonstrates ways that King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech still resonates in the challenges faced today. For more information about all MLK events, contact Genora Crooke at gcrooke@handsonatlanta.org or 404-979-2820. Georgia Power employees

VFW Post 4706 helping Gilgal House VFW Post 4706 is collecting toiletries, paper goods and cleaning supplies for the Gilgal House as a King Day community service project. The collection drive is in association with the Stone Mountain/Lithonia Graduate Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. The Gilgal House assists women who have experienced a hardship and need help with housing and re-entering the work force. Donations of toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, deodorant, paper towels and cleaning supplies can be dropped off at the post at 362 Covington Highway in Decatur through Jan. 18. On Jan. 19, a program that includes the Gilgal House will begin at 11 a.m. at the post. For more information, email belvedere4706@ gmail.com or call 770-844-6276.

CELEBRATING A DAY ON AND NOT A DAY OFF

Georgia Power is proud to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day – a nationwide celebration of service to mankind and community – by encouraging its employees and customers to use their time off to serve others. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, let us all come together to spend a “day on“ by extending a helping hand to help those who need it most.

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King Holiday

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January 17, 2015

In 1956, Parks traveled to the segregated South on assignment for Life, creating a photo essay, “The Restraints: Open and Hidden.”

Diversity summit tackles progress since civil rights movement Female diversity officers will examine challenges and progress women and minorities have made since the civil rights movement at a free Workplace Diversity Summit on Jan. 26 at Georgia Power headquarters. “How Far Have Women Come Since King?” presented by Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. The summit includes a forum of audience/panel discussion with business, religious, nonprofit, education, civil and civil rights leaders. Panelists include Moanica Caston, vice president of Diversity and Inclusion for Georgia Power; Sandy

Cross, senior director of Diversity & Inclusion, PGA; Dawn Harris, director of Diversity Affairs, NASCAR; and Betty Marshall, Southeast regional vice president, Sam’s Club. A post-reception will immediately follow the discussion. Registration is required at http://diversityroundtable15.eventbrite.com. Georgia Power Co. is at 241 Ralph McGill Blvd. N.E. in Atlanta. For more information, visit www. atlantatribune.com/event/2015-workplace-diversityMoanica Caston summit or call 770-587-0501.

Sandy Cross

Dawn Harris

Betty Marshall

Photo exhibits chronicle South, segregation, Selma march The South, segregation and the Selmato-Montgomery march are chronicled in exhibits of photographs by Gordon Parks, Andrew Moore and Steve Schapiro at Jackson Fine Art in Atlanta. The gallery kicks off its 2015 season with a selection of provocative images that both interrogate and celebrate the South in solo exhibitions by Parks and Moore. Also exhibited in the viewing room will be a series of Gordon Parks Schapiro’s rarely seen photos of the Selmato-Montgomery march. An opening reception takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 23 for “Gordon Parks: Segregation Story,” “Andrew Moore: The South” and “Steve Schapiro: Selma.” The exhibition runs through March 14. The hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Parks, a writer, musician and director (“Shaft”), was the first African-American to work as a staff photographer for Life magazine and the first black artist to produce and direct a major Hollywood film with 1969’s “The Learning Tree.” In 1956, he traveled to the segregated South on assignment for Life, creating a photo essay, “The Restraints: Open and Hidden,” that chronicled the daily lives of an extended family in Alabama. The portfolio’s presentation in full color at a time when most photo essays were still being published in black and white lends further strength to Parks’ depiction of the Jim Crow South. Most of the photos for the Life series were presumed lost until they were rediscovered in 2011. A selection of the work, found in a folder labeled “Segregation Story,” was released upon discovery two years ago.

Parks threatened in South The Gordon Parks Foundation has made public a new selection of Parks’ color prints. Parks’ experiences as an African-American photographer exposing the realities of segregation are as compelling as the im-

The 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery pushed President Lyndon B. Johnson to send voting rights legislation to Congress.

ages themselves. While traveling through the South, Parks was threatened physically, there were attempts to damage his film and equipment, and the whole project was nearly undermined by another Life staffer. The Causey family, headed by Allie Lee and sharecropper Willie, was forced to leave their home in Shady Grove, Ala., over their collaboration with Parks for the story. Parks’ segregation portfolio is currently on view at the High Museum and Jackson Fine Art in conjunction with the Gordon Parks Foundation. His work has been shown at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Throughout Moore’s 35-year career, he has captured places of historical significance in all of their beauty and squalor. His interest has turned to a regional exploration of the United States, particularly the American South, an area that has fascinated him since he first began to take pictures. Moore’s Southern renaissance is a revisitation and a way of marking time, allowing the artist to reflect on changes to the landscape as well as in his own life. Moore, who was born 1957 in Old Greenwich, Conn., is best known for his

richly colored images of architectural and urban scenes particularly in Cuba, Russia, and Detroit. He teaches in the Photography M.F.A. program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His work is represented in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Library of Congress, the Israel Museum, the High Museum, the Eastman House and the Canadian Centre for Architecture. Moore has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Council on the Arts, and private foundations.

Schapiro captures historic march On the heels of current national attention on race relations and the Oprah Winfrey-produced Martin Luther King Jr. biopic “Selma” come Schapiro’s rarely seen photographs of the Selma-to-Montgomery march. An activist as well as a documentarian, Schapiro produced photo-essays covering some of the most turbulent and iconic movements of the 1960s, the golden age of photojournalism. Freelancing for picture magazines such as Life, Look, Time, News-

week and Vanity Fair, Schapiro covered many stories related to the civil rights movement such as the March on Washington, the Selma march for voter registration, and the climate in Memphis after King’s assassination. In his Selma photographs, marchers such as author James Baldwin, former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, King adviser Ralph David Abernathy, and U.S. Rep. John Lewis appear with nonviolent discipline. These previously unpublished images, recently rediscovered by Schapiro, commemorate Selma and its successful series of marches – the 54mile march to Montgomery pushed Lyndon B. Johnson to send voting rights legislation to Congress – and could serve as inspiration to a new generation of demonstrators. Schapiro, born and raised in New York City, attended Amherst College and graduated from Bard College. His photographs were included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1968 exhibition “Harlem on My Mind.” His work can be found in the collection of the Smithsonian, the High Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Jackson Fine Art is at 3115 E. Shadowlawn Ave. For more information, visit www. jacksonfineart.com or call 404-233-3739.

Show Your PRIDE, South DeKalb! R Don’t Litter R Mow, Trim & Paint R Clean to the Curb A PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE FROM CROSSROADSNEWS

King Holiday

CrossRoadsNews

January 17, 2015

The celebration acknowledges King’s legacy and recognizes unsung foot soldiers in the community who continue to carry out his work.

New Bethel to honor five at Drum Major Award Celebration DeKalb NAACP President John Evans will be among five people honored at New Bethel AME’s 14th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major Award Celebration on Jan. 19. Evans, a civil rights trailblazer and former DeKalb County commissioner, will be presented with the Drum Major Award. The theme of the event is “We Are the Keepers of the Dream.” It starts at 2 p.m. and is free to attend. Dr. Cheryl Davenport Dozier, 13th president of Savannah State University, will be the keynote speaker. Dozier, who is from

Cheryl Dozier

John Evans

Earle Ifill

Stone Mountain, became Savannah State’s president in 2012. The other honorees are New Bethel’s church members Emirth and Cynthia Hodge, student Nkosie Kee, and the

Rev. Dr. Earle H. Ifill. The Hodges will get the Pillar of Strength award for their many years of service to the church. Nkosie, an 11th-grader and young scholar at New Bethel, will get the Ruby Bridges Dreamer award. Ifill, presiding elder of the Atlanta East District of the North Georgia Annual Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, is the Community Service honoree. Special recognition also will be given to the caregivers – kinship and foster parents

Exhibit offers look into King’s Nobel Peace Prize The exhibit “1964 Martin Luther King Jr.,” which offers an overview of King’s Nobel Peace Prize, is on display at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta. The exhibit of more than 50 artifacts, letters and other documents includes the letters the Quakers wrote nominating King for the prize. It is on display through Sept. 27, 2015. The documents, which had been secret since 1964, are on public view for the first time. They include the award nominations, notes and reports that were kept under lock and key in the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s extensive archive in Oslo, Norway. “1964: Martin Luther King Jr.” opened Dec. 10 as part of a two-day celebration of the 50th anniversary of King’s Nobel Peace Prize at the King Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The documents show that King was one of 44 people considered for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The others included Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, and U.S. President Lyndon Johnson, who signed into law many

Yolanda Rene King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s only grandchild, looks at his photo at the King Historic Site Visitors Center. She is Martin Luther King III’s daughter.

Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews

civil rights initiatives. The short list of 13 finalists included President William Tubman of Liberia, UNICEF, Belgium Prime Minister Paul Henri Spaak, and SOS Children’s Villages founder Hermann Gmeiner. The exhibit also features documents from Coca-Cola Corporate Archives, Ebenezer Baptist Church Archival Collections, Auburn

Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, and Georgia State University Archival Collection. “1964: Martin Luther King Jr.” is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The King Historic Site Visitors Center is at 450 Auburn Ave. N.E. in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/malu.

King papers focus of ‘Where Do We Go From Here’

GSU College of Law associate professor Tanya Washington will moderate sioner Stan Watson & Dr. a discussion about a rare exhibition of King papers at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights’ Martin Luther 86th museum on Jan.King’s 20. let us recommit to Go his “Where Do We From Here: A Call to Ac- Tanya Washington tion” takes place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Washington is partnering with the center anity.and Commit yourself to the the law firm of Hunton & Williams for l rights. You will make a the event. She said that of in ayour speech delivered 47 lf, a greater nation to theDr. 10thMartin annual session of the rld toyears liveago in."? Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. posed the

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strategies for the way forward.” Panelists include Akinyele Umoja, GSU associate professor and African-American Studies department chair; University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law associate professor Laura McNeal; Hillside Chapel and Truth Center minister and founder the Rev. Barbara Barbara King Laura McNeal Akinyele Umoja Lewis King; Banneker High School salient question, “Where do we go from senior and student leader William Brand; and writer, activist and motivational speaker here?” “It is fitting that the panel will discuss Coleman G. Howard. The museum is at 100 Ivan Allen Blvd. how and whether insights and strategies employed during the civil rights movement in Atlanta. For more information, contact Renee inform efforts to address 21st century forms of injustice and inequality,” she said. “The Valdes at rvaldes@gsu.edu or 404-413goal of the discussion is to identify specific 9259.

and those providing elder care to family members – who are members of New Bethel. Shiloh High School Concert Choir under the direction of Craig Johnson will perform. The celebration acknowledges King’s legacy and recognizes unsung foot soldiers in the community who continue to carry out his work. The church is at 8350 Rockbridge Road in Lithonia. For more information, visit www.newbethelame.org or call 770-484-3350.

King family members host book signings Members of the King family, including Dr. Christine King Farris, will sign copies of their books on Jan. 19 at the King Center. The 90-minute event begins at 3 p.m. Farris will sign “My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up With the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Christine Farris Jr.” and “Through It All: Reflections on My Life, My Family and My Faith.” Dr. Angela Farris Watkins, a niece of the civil rights leader, will sign copies of “My Uncle Martin’s Words for America: Martin Angela Watkins Luther King Jr.’s Niece Tells How He Made a Difference” and “Love Will See You Through: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Six Guiding Beliefs (As Told By His Niece).” Alveda King, another niece, will sign “King Rules: Ten Truths Alveda King for You, Your Family and Our Nation to Prosper.” The event is free and open to the public. Only books purchased at the King Center will be signed. The King Center is at 449 Auburn Ave. N.E. in Atlanta. For more information, contact Barbara Harrison at programs@ thekingcenter.org or 404-526-8911. For more information about the King Center’s birthday observance programs, visit thekingcenter.org.

As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s 86th birthday on Jan. 19, let us recommit to his ideals.

“Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Commissioner Stan Watson, District 7 www.facebook.com/stanwatsondekalb

CrossRoadsNews

January 17, 2015

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