40th celebration of Dr. King highlights need for continued social progress in Atlanta

Dr. King was known for his philosophy on nonviolent resistance, inspired by Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi. He led peaceful protests across the South, but was frequently met with violent resistance and was jailed 29 times. Linda Evans, a resident of the Branan Towers retirement community, recalls the unfair treatment of her own relatives during the Civil Rights Movement.

“[Dr. King] said you don’t have to fight to get your point across,” Evans said. “I hate that Dr. King had to go through what he went through to try to make them be free and how they beat them, and the people who would stand behind them and put water hoses and stuff like that on them and sick dogs on my ancestors.”

Dr. King organized a variety of peaceful protests, including boycotts, marches and sit-in protests. Between 1960 and 1961, over 70,000 people participated in sit-ins, where people of color would peacefully sit at white-only lunch counters and refuse to leave. Juan Muhammad, the former president of the South Carolina NAACP, was introduced to peaceful protesting at a young age when his mother took him to a sit-in in Savannah.

“My mother took me and some of my younger brothers to one of the stores in Savannah, Georgia because they had people come and be part of the sit-in movement,” Muhammad said. “There was a lot going on then, a lot of good and bad memories, but I remember my mother introducing us to that before we were even in elementary school.”

Gussie Ann Breedlove, a missionary of 43 years and a civil rights activist in Atlanta, knew Dr. King’s father, Martin Luther King Sr., who was also a minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church, endearingly referred to as “Daddy King.”

“[MLK Day] is always important because of Daddy King,” Breedlove said. “I sat with him across the street for 18 years. He was my pastor. He was my mentor. As a young child, my grandmother would tell us about the story of the Kings’ family. She would take the horse and the buggy and go across the woods, and I would be on the back of the wagon, and we would be singing songs. And that was a gift because he was such an awesome man.”

While much of the world remembers Dr. King for his speeches and activism, Breedlove recalls the more personal side of the King family.

“I met his sons, and we united together and had such a good time,” Breedlove said. “I would have them laughing about how their granddaddy would have me go down the street and purchase him some peach cobbler, that was his favorite dessert. And then Ms. Luther was his caretaker, she said, ‘Now Martin, you know what the doctor said, you cannot have that peach cobbler.’”

Coretta Scott King was known for fighting poverty and establishing the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Lane said she is inspired by Coretta Scott King’s hard work and determination.

“Mrs. Coretta Scott King never gave up, no matter how hard the obstacle was,” Lane said. “I feel like this day and time, people need to remember, ‘don’t stop, keep going no matter what happens.’”

Community service

In addition to activism, Dr. King was known for his commitment to service. Grant said her sorority upholds Dr. King’s legacy by doing humanitarian work in the community.

“‘You don’t have to be great to serve,’” Grant said, recalling one of her favorite quotes from Dr. King. “‘Everybody who serves can be great.’ When we turn and really look into that quote, it doesn’t matter the title, it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you believe in a religion or cultural practice, we all should believe in service and being there for others who have less than us.”

Angel Lewis, a student at Georgia State University, participated in the Unity Walk, where students walked to the King Center before breaking into groups to work on various service projects.

“It was really nice to march with all the students to the King Center and then be able to join Morehouse and volunteer, just do a day of service, instead of taking the day off,” Lewis said.

Junior Kaili Stith volunteered at Brannan Towers on MLK Day with the Midtown 21st Century Leaders Club. Students played games with the residents and read the “I Have a Dream” speech. Stith said she appreciated the chance to remember Dr. King through service.

“Any Black American could say that [Dr. King] was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement,” Stith said. “I actually know his great granddaughter; so, I have personal connections to him, and he has a great family and was a great man who led in faith; and so, I really admire that.”

Brannan Towers resident Louzia Sears said the service project provided the older generations an opportunity to bestow their knowledge with the younger generations.

“It means a lot because we get a chance to share what we have been through with the younger people coming up the ranks,” Sears said. “They get a chance to see how we made it over,”Sears said.

Volunteers and residents took turns reciting Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Evans said the speech, specifically Dr. King’s references to a more unified future, made her emotional.

“The speaking touched my soul,” Evans said. “Hearing him say that, people reading it to us, made me feel real free. I felt light; I felt happiness. Tears came to my eyes.”