Monday, June 25, Atlanta

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

The King Center, on the Grounds

Deb Foster:

 
In the rose garden, children’s quotes are placed along the perimeter highlighting their thoughts on MLK and the Civil Rights Movement.  Hania Majah Al Jamal of the Gaza Strip writes about the unity of the human spirit, “Our souls seek peace”.  The desire we each have to live in peace must be valued and honored.  This is the meaning that I have derived out of all the struggles involving human dignity. The fight to expand civil rights is a universal struggle.  But why is this the case? If we valued human dignity the objective could be reached and the dream fulfilled.

Ryan Prod:

The mural showed a pictorial timeline of all the major events.  As I took it all in, I thought about time and energy involved by so many people.  Dr. King was the figurehead of the movement, but many others contributed to the success.  As I turned around to enter the visitor center, I thought about the progress made by the movement.  In the background were the high towers and buildings of downtown Atlanta. Out of a small, black, middle class neighborhood, a boy would grow up to lead and complete a dream begun in 1862 for Civil Rights.

Tamara Schick:

The Kings are buried in a beautiful setting.  After a lifetime of activity and often a target of violence, to now be in that place of peace is very fitting.  I found myself thinking that there was also a purpose in [the design] to discourage people from trying to break into the grave. After all Abraham Lincoln’s grave finally had to be sealed by cement to stop attempted grave robbers. I am glad that they lived and that they now have a quiet rest.

Erika Sween:

MLK’s tomb in the middle of a reflective pool. I guess I had always imagined that he had been buried in a cemetery somewhere. And in the middle of Sween Auburn.

Ann Hewitt:

The eternal flame at the grave of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  One motivation for assassinating someone is to extinguish the work of that person physically by killing them and emotionally by killing the spirit of the survivors.  The beauty of the symbolism of the eternal flame is that although Dr. King’s life was snuffed out in Memphis, his spirit and his work lived on in Atlanta and beyond.  His spirit also survived in the hearts of the many people who were visiting the King Center. The assembly of the young, old, Black, White, Asian, and other races, were a testament to the message of love and acceptance that King taught throughout his brief life.

Frank Juresh:

The marker next to Dr. King's Eternal Flame.  It is at the heart of the MLK Center facing the tombs of Dr. and Mrs. King.  What caught my eye was the phrase "Beloved Community". During the course we studied this ideal that many in the Civil Rights Movement held as an end goal for their efforts and for all of us.  I see this in the context of the Sweet Auburn Historic District where Dr. King Grew up.  At the time of King's childhood this area of Atlanta was a self contained African-American Community.  Rich and poor lived side by side and worked to make this a successful, pleasant community.  I Think that the essence of what this community stood for was what King wanted for all of us.

Robert Piotroswski:

The statue of Kunta Kinte absolutely stunned me. I distinctly remembered watching this series on television in 1977. It made me aware of the struggles this family had, but what I didn't realize what that this was made and then watched by millions less than a decade after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The memories of the Civil Rights Movement would have been so fresh in people's minds and the time period when there was only three major networks also played a major role.

The title of the statue was "Behold," and I did. This moment helped set the stage for the next several days of my journey to learn first hand from many who lived to tell their personal stories about the impact of the Civil Right Movement.

The King Center, in the Museum

The Video

Vince Czahor:

While Fred Grey had to be the most influential participant of the Civil Rights Movement I have ever met, the words of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. were the only things that moved to tears. The introductory video at the visitor center included many speeches from King that I had heard before such as “I have a Dream” and the “Mountain Top” speech, but also those I have never heard. Roughly 50 years after he gave many of those speeches, I was wiping tears away and ready to fight for his cause.

Jay Kluz:

I couldn't help but be struck by what Dr. King said near the end of the video.  He claimed he would have no money to leave behind; no real fame or fortune mattered to him.  All he wanted was to have helped someone--to do his Christian duty.  He said that if he helped any one man, then he made an impact on justice.  Yet here we were idolizing him at the fountain and eternal flame in front of his tomb, marveling at his birth home, taking pictures of the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he and his father preached, and, of all things, buying merchandise at the gift shops.  What would King think of all this?  Obviously most of the leaders of the movement seldom stepped back to think about how historic their actions were or revel in their own fame.  Would they appreciate our response today or be somewhat embarrassed at the pomp and circumstance given to what they thought was simply the right thing to do?  These thoughts gave me pause as to how often the unfolding of history is really a balance of everyday events and everyday actions that become monumental.

Inside the Exhibits

Amy Lund:

We have talked and talked about the Jim Crow laws. I’ve seen hundreds of photos of "white" and "colored" drinking fountains, doorways, and schools. Logically, I knew segregation must have affected every part of people’s lives. But there was a panel in one section of the MLK museum that had examples of the Jim Crow laws throughout the south. The one that stuck out to me was about the circus. The circus!  It was a law from Louisiana that specified that there had to be separate tickets and separate ticket sales and redemption booths.  It was across from a picture at the Memphis zoo that said "No Whites Admitted Today." I had never extrapolated that segregation really went this far.

Sarah Pickering:

At the MLK Memorial and King Center, there was a picture of lynched black man, and standing next to his body was a young, smiling, girl. The amount of hate that people instilled in their children is sickening.

Susan Ruble:

What stopped me in my tracks? Well, it was a quote on the wall in the Memorial Room: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase." This stood out to me as symbolic to his life, that of the Civil Rights movement and also to me personally.  MLK had many times in his life where His Faith in God and His Faith in human nature was challenged, but yet he plowed ahead trusting in himself and his beliefs.  He knew that if he fought the “good fight” and did what he thought was right that no matter the outcome he would be able to “live with himself”. He knew that it would take time and that he had to have faith in the future and in the unknown.

Often, we look at the great men and women of the world and forget that they have the same human qualities that we do.  We read about and saw the kitchen where MLK asked God for help...MLK was doing what we all do when we are challenged, stressed and/or unsure about the future.  Life is one big staircase and pretty much every step of it is unseen.  The responsibility on MLK’s shoulders was tremendous but, he had faith in his religion, in himself and in others.  He stepped onto the staircase not knowing where his foot would land, but he knew that as he took that step he would not be alone, there would be others there with him...little did he know that his steps would change the world.

Cynthia Walrath:

Please Know. . . "They All had Faces!"

At the Wagon

 

Gary Giese:

I came around a corner and here it was, the wagon that carried the casket during the funeral processional of Dr. Martin Luther King on April 9, 1968.  A share cropper’s wagon used as a symbol of the whole Civil Rights movement, It seems fitting Dr. King who represented all African Americans in their search for equality was carried to his final resting place in a wagon. It was a respectful yet humbling gesture.

Jason Pickering:

It was hard to hold back tears looking at the wagon that carried his body.  He knew he was going to die for this cause and he cared more for his people than he did for himself.  He sacrificed a long life that would have had plenty of money.  He sacrificed watching his children grow up.  Those are things that I don’t think I could do.

Cynthia Walrath:

I stood motionless for a moment when I saw the wagon that carried Dr. Martin Luther King’s casket.  I never realized that his casket was carried in an old farm wagon.  Then I noticed a photo of the funeral procession showing the mules, the wagon and the men (dressed in denim) leading the procession.  The quote underneath: "The Poor People’s Campaign."  I thought about the life of the poor people that had struggled to be free, and the man that petitioned for equality.

The King Birth Home

Heidi James:

It felt like history should have happened much longer ago.  But really, it’s still happening, the people are still alive.  It was amazing seeing the room that Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in.  Everything changed in the world is different because of that room.  But, I think it was more than just that room.  It was the whole house.  It felt like a happy, loving home.  I could feel it in every room, especially the dining room and the kitchen.  I could tell that MLK Jr. became the man he was because of the way he was raised and the people who raised him.  The foundation of the content of his character began in that home.

Erin Lynnes:

Martin Luther King was born in the same year as my Grandma Henry.  My Grandma died in 2004, 36 years after King's assassination.  That is my lifetime and then some.  Hearing that birthday -- January 15, 1929 -- while standing outside the bedroom where this prolific figure was born, finally made him real.  As we heard from Fred Gray, "People are just people."  Martin Luther King was just a person, too.

Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church

Tina Krummel:

When I walked into the sanctuary, it wasn’t any bigger than my church at home; the plain wooden pews speak of the people who built and maintained the church. It is an old-fashioned church, small and personal. Just sitting in the church brought a humbling feeling over me. A church is something that is very personal to everyone who experiences religion.

Michael Downie:

Sitting in the pew and listening to the choir sing and the voice of King echo through the hall gave me a feeling of awe mixed with simplicity.  The pulpit held an unassuming quaint feel so close to the congregation.  Our minds create such massive environments for heroes and King is no exception.  Yet, here was a church that was as regular as my own and it served as a launching point for a powerful voice in the Civil Rights movement.  I like that King chose to be a minister and then the movement found him and chose him to be their voice.


Ian Jolley:


Sitting in a middle pew of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.  Taking in the peach/pink colored walls and the stained-glass windows. I could picture MLK up in front, where he was meant to be, and the congregation just rocking. This image is the end result, however, of all of the other places we had seen earlier. The sense of family and the greater community and its importance in his young life was palpable. A house full of people! Relatives yes, but also all array of community members and friends. It would be an ideal that it seems to me King tried to create on a national level.  In many ways his upbringing was perfect….as long didn’t go where he wasn’t allowed and dream of things that boys his color weren’t supposed to dream. Therein lies the rub.