Happy 90th Birthday to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ebenezer Baptist Church bulletin from 2018.

Today Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Would have been 90 years old.

Here are some MLK,Jr questions for you and your circle of influence:

How will you celebrate his birthday today or next Monday, January 21, the day the King National Holiday is celebrated?

Will you attend the Annual Program at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he served as Co-Pastor and his father served as Pastor?

Will you participate in a MLKJr Day of Service?

Will you attend one of the many marches or other celebrations across the region?

Will you take time to learn more about MLKing,Jr with your circle of friends and family?

Will you read one of the many books about him?

Will you read one of his speeches (google Dr. MLKing, Jr. speeches) other than his “I Have A Dream Speech”?  Or, watch any of his less famous, yet just as important, speeches or interviews online?

To study King, his life and works will amaze you.  He was a brilliant visionary.  You will find that many of his speeches, letters and other works seem timeless. Some of them are still appropriate today…in 2019.

How do you believe things might be different if he were still alive?

What things did he envision during his lifetime do you believe still need to be fulfilled?

 

 

Ebenezer Baptist Has Serious GOTV Events

To inspire all to vote, especially the youth, Clark Atlanta’s marching band performed on “College Sunday”, Oct. 14 at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

As Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the church of Martin Luther King, Sr. and Martin Luther King. Jr., it is expected that they stay entrenched in the foundational issues that  are key to achieving social justice.

Here are ways to get involved in the 2018 Election: Don’t just sit there. Stand Up, get involved, get valuable info to share with your circle of friends and family.  IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.   Come be a part of our ELECTION SEASON EVENTS. The Midterm election is upon us and it is very critical that everybody gets out and vote. At Ebenezer. The Social Justice Ministry and the New Georgia Project are encouraging everyone to early vote or by absentee ballot. The Clark-Atlanta choir filled with angelic voices, sang beautifully on College Sunday at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Please click on your county link to see your early voting location. EACH ONE REACH MORE. Fulton County: http://www.fultoncountyga.gov/registration-elections-cd/7448-early-voting DeKalb County: https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/voter-registration-elections/current-election-information Cobb County: https://www.cobbelections.org/AdvanceVoting.php Once you have voted early, we need you to volunteer to help us encourage more people to vote. The Social Justice Ministry has a series of events leading up to elections day and we need your help. Here are two opportunities for you to help us in this effort. For other counties, go to your county elections website or visit: http://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov Event: EBC Cares: Walk the Ward Canvassing Goal is to knock on everybody’s door that resides in Old 4th Ward to encourage them to vote. Date: Saturday, October 27th Time: 11:00am-6:00pm Location: Cyber Cafe in MLK Sr. Resource Center Event: Get out to Vote Rally Date: Monday, November 5th Time: 5:00pm-9:00pm Location: The Heritage Sanctuary Our voice begins at the ballet box but it does not stop there. We must continue the fight to create we want to see in the world. Here are the opportunities to continue justice seeking. Event: The Connect: Chat, Chow & Chill (College Students Only) Date: Various Dates Time: 1:30pm-2:30pm Location: Banquet Hall, MLK Sr. Resource Center Contact Minister Darin Waite at darienw@ebenezeratl.org for more information. Event: Young Adult Ministry Bible Study: The Social Gospel Special Guest: Rev Bill Honor Date: Thursday, October 18th Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm Location: Cyber Cafe Contact Minister Bronson Woods at bronsonw@ebenezeratl.org

 

Homeless in the ATL

Homeless woman on one of Atlanta’s most known streets, Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta.

Homeless in Atlanta.  The Jewel of the South.  Black Mecca.  Home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Civil Rights. How can this be? 

Atlanta is also #1 in the nation for income inequality. Lots of people with money. Lots of people without money.  Almost no one in the middle.  Affordable housing needs unmet with tens of thousands of units needed in Atlanta.  Other cities have similar needs.  But, many believe Atlanta should be doing better than other cities and should be the model . How is it that those with so much not see, care or help solve this rapidly growing social issue?

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, housing is one of humanity’s most basic needs.  So again I ask, how can this be??

It is bad to see homeless men.  It is even worse to see homeless women. Ir is even worse to know some of our homeless are veterans who have proudly served our country.  As we saw recently with a former Cosby cast member working in Trader Joe’s, almost anyone can fall on hard times.  Where is our compassion and humanity?

Across metro Atlanta, we find funds for a $23 million bridge and replace the sidewalks around it.  Meanwhile, other parts of the city have been asking for sidewalks for decades.  How can we solve this huge homeless problem??  Why not have a contest and ask for solutions from our citizens and have them present to a “Shark Tank” like panel that will get matching funds from Atlanta Housing Authority, Invest Atlanta and some local private funders??

I pray that sooner rather than later, Atlanta and cities across  our nation will find the solution to our rapidly growing homeless problem.  I pray the woman in this photo is able to get off the streets soon.

 

What is the Plan in Your Community?

 

Want to change social and economic injustices?  Then you need a plan of action.

Shaun King’s commentary  for Black America Web this morning emphasizes how a “blind loyalty” gets people nowhere.  However, a plan of action gets you results. In case you missed this less than 10 minute audio, here is the link for you to listen, share, and move to action:

Shaun King Talks Policy Ideas

Harriett Tubman, Booker T. Washington, and President Barack Obama were successful because they all had a plan of action!!  Likewise,  Adolph Hitler, the Koch Brothers and the Tea Party also had a plan of action!  With technological advances AND boots on the ground, you can plan, educate, empower and implement a customized plan of action with best practices, for the Top 5-10 (depending on manpower/volunteers) issues that cause Blacks, Browns, Native Americans, the working poor, functionally disabled, mentally challenged and other citizens who simply want equity. This can be done in each community across the country.

Harriett Tubman, the Pullman Porters, residents of Black Wallstreet (in Tulsa), Muhammad Ali, Dick Gregory, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Shirley Chisholm, Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, Maynard Jackson, Colin Kaepernick, Oprah Winfrey, The Freedom Riders, and the Native American Code Talkers (to name a few) did not wait for a leader to emerge.  They knew Superman was not coming.  They all stepped up to do what they could to make a difference. So can you!!  Each of us can use our skills and talents to help a current organization, or start your own.  No cause is too small.  Jesus also had a plan. And, He trained twelve.

You do not have to be a rocket scientist, have a degree, or a title. If you can figure out how to go on vacation and navigate in a city or country that you have never visited, surely you can figure out how to make a difference in your neighborhood, church, or non-profit.  Or, start your own group.

As my dearly departed Godmother, Rev. Willie Taplin Barrow use to say, “If you are not at the table when plans are made, you are on the menu.”

Above: Rev. Willie Taplin Barrow (Dec. 7, 1924 – March 12, 2015).

It is time to stop talking about how bad things are. It is time to do something about it!! It is time to stop saying, “they ought to” or “the church ought to”.  Who are they?  Who is the the Church?  When is the last time you volunteered or worked on a community service project (in person or online)?

Gandhi famously said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.“

In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

 

Film Screening of A.D. King – Legacy & Mysterious Death

Alveda King, daughter of A.D. King, introduces her grandson.

Unsolved History, Life of a King is the title of this documentary screened tonight.  It is about the work of seldom talked about, A.D. King, brother of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  While listing his accomplishments as a skillful negotiator who was responsible for housing legislation signed by President Lyndon Johnson, we are also  presented with the mystery about how A.D. died.  Did he really drown in his own swimming pool? Or, was he silenced because he was getting too close to the truth about his famous brother’s death?

Shown at the theater of the MLKing, Jr. National Park Service Visitor Center, it was packed with King family members that included Alveda King, the oldest of the five children of A.D. King and Naomi King; Christine King Farris, the only sister of M.L and A.D. King; Elder Bernice King, daughter of M.L.King, Jr.  Other attendees included Rev. Gerald Durley, Willie Watkins,  and City Council President Felicia Moore.

After the movie screening, (l-r) Sherry, Elder Bernice King, Alveda King, Rev. Gerald Durley, and the movie executive producer Josetta Shropshire.

Mary, Yancey, and Sherry.

This film is very thorough. It includes interviews with Rev. James Orange, Lonnie King, Herman Russell, Alveda King, Lonnie King, C.T. Vivian, and the King family attorney.

On April 5, 2018, you can see this powerful documentary in Atlanta, GA on WATL TV. It will also be shown in Los Angeles, CA; Portland, OR; and Huntsville, AL. More cities and dates are coming soon. This is a “must see” film!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statute to Be Unveiled

The King,Jr. Statue will be placed in front of this tribute.

Work is still underway to prepare this podium where the King, Jr. Statue will rest.

There has been a lot of talk across our nation about taking down statues.  And, about taking down confederate flags across the south.  As we move forward to embrace our rich yet shameful, violent and inhumane history; we need to set a policy and move forward.

As we continue to recognize and celebrate our nation’s humanitarians, I am excited about a new statue.  It is the Dr. M.L. King, Jr. statue that will be unveiled at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday, August 28, 2017 at 10:00am. The King statue will be the first one of a non-legislator.  And, being a an international humanitarian who practiced and promoted non-violent protests, it is not an accident that this dedication is occurring  in the midst of the debate  over Confederate statutes.