CrossRoadsNews, February 11, 2017 - Section B by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

Black History Month February 11, 2017

Section B

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DeKalb’s Obama School Opens

Rosie Manins / CrossRoadsNews

Kimberly Barrera, 9, opens her third-grade classroom door that has a photo of President Barack H. Obama on it. Photos of Obama also decorate corridors at the new school named in his honor.

Magnet school is first in state to honor black U.S. president By Rosie Manins

President Barack Obama may be out of office, but in DeKalb County, just over 800 students are calling his name every school day at the new $23 million Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology on Clifton Church Road. The 118,631-square-foot school, which opened Jan. 5 across the street from the Gresham Park Recreation Center in Atlanta, is the first, and to date only, school in Georgia named in honor of the nation’s first African American president, who left office on Jan. 20 after serving eight years. It is one of 19 schools in 11 states –

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Georgia, Minnesota, California, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey and Missouri – named for either the president or former first lady Michelle Obama. When the DeKalb School Board voted unanimously in July 2016 to name the school for the president, Superintendent R. Stephen Green said Obama embodied the values of a strong family, hard work, and education as the means of getting ahead. “These values are reflected in the DeKalb County School District and are the keys to college and career readiness,” Green said. School Board Chairman Melvin Johnson said Stephen Green Obama’s public career and his family commitment offer inspiration to students and staff. “The name on this school will remind us every day of the importance of these attributes in being good citizens,” he said. Students and the school’s 102-member staff, who had been housed at the former

Terry Mill Elementary School on Fayetteville Road, relocated into their new school home after the Christmas break. Angela Thomas-Bethea, the school’s principal, said the looks on their faces that first day was priceless. “They were just in awe of the school,” she said. “Their mouths were wide open.” She said they are proud to carry Obama’s name. “I know that to whom much is given, much is expected,” she said. “We want to represent the president’s name in a positive manner and perform well for the community. We just want to live up to the name.” Smiling photos of Obama decorate the gleaming new corridors and constantly remind students of whom they honor. Thomas-Bethea said they talk a lot about Obama, the country’s 44th president who left office with a 60 percent approval rating – one of the highest of any president. “We want to instill a sense of pride in the students, to let them know this is a special place to be and they are privileged to be here.” Still, having ties to a political leader hasn’t been without its problems.

The school’s name attracted some negative feedback from a small minority of people, and Thomas-Bethea said with that, and the school’s expensive technology equipment, they have had to take safety measures. “We had to increase our vigilance with security and monitoring students because there are some extreme personalities we have encountered through social media,” she said. The school is equipped with the latest technology at a cost of $1.4 million, including a tablet for every student. From its large cafeteria and indoor gymnasium to the central courtyard, the school has Wi-Fi and a state-of-the-art sound system that allows staff to use their mobile phones for a variety of functions, including the intercom. “To have a large new facility with all the access to technology is just phenomenal to me,” she said. Thomas-Bethea said those things demand extra security – something that parents are having to get used to. “You can’t just wander in anymore,” she Please see SCHOOL, page B3

Preserving local history

New life into old church

Rhythms of the motherland

A Feb. 23 symposium will explore preservation of DeKalb’s historic Flat Rock and Shermantown communities. B3

Restoration of the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church in downtown Atlanta could begin in the next few months. B4

The allfemale percussion ensemble ConunDrums will play West African rhythms at the RedanTrotti Library in Lithonia. B6

CrossRoadsNews

Black History

February 11, 2017

Jackson is credited with growing black Atlanta’s wealth with his affirmative action policies.

2346 Candler Road Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007

www.CrossRoadsNews.com editor@CrossRoadsNews.com

The Black History Month Special Section is a publication of CrossRoadsNews, Atlanta’s award-winning weekly newspaper.

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Managing Editor Terry Shropshire Assistant Editor Brenda Yarbrough Reporters Jennifer Ffrench Parker Rosie Manins Graphics Editor Curtis Parker Multimedia Editor Sharif Williams

CrossRoadsNews is published every Saturday by CrossRoadsNews, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers. The concept, design and content of CrossRoadsNews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without . the written permission of the publisher © 2017 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

Maynard H. Jackson Jr., the first African American mayor of Atlanta and a major Southern city, served three terms during a pivotal time in its history.

Film to tell the story of Atlanta’s first black mayor By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

The much-anticipated documentary film “Maynard” about the life and times of Atlanta’s first African American mayor, Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr., should be ready for a screening at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018.

The film will present an intimate portrait of Jackson – the man, the mayor, the game changer, and the politician. Bunnie Jackson-Ransom, a spokeswoman for the film and Jackson’s first wife, said the producers hope to have the film completed by early fall 2017 – depending on filming schedules and fundraising. “Post-production will be full-swing in March 2017,” she said. “The goal is to present the film at the Sundance Festival in January 2018.” Award-winning documentary filmmaker Sam Pollard is using archival videos, rare photographs and interviews with people who knew him best – family, friends, colleagues and co-workers – to tell the story of Jackson, a lawyer and politician who left his stamp on the city of Atlanta. People being interviewed for the film include former Ambassador Andrew Young; Vernon Jordan; his childhood friend Sammy Bacote; former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; his widow, Valerie Jackson; and his children, Elizabeth, Brooke and Maynard III. Douglas A. Blackmon, former AJC reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Slavery by Another Name”; his first law partner, Andrew Patterson; and his former CAO at Atlanta City Hall, George Berry, are also in that group. Jackson’s aunt, June Dobbs Butts, the only living daughter of his grandfather, John Wesley Dobbs, provided the history on the Dobbs family. Jackson, the first African American mayor of Atlanta and a major Southern city, served three terms during a pivotal time in Atlanta’s history. He was mayor from 1974 to 1982 and again from 1990 to 1994. Jackson is credited with growing black

Atlanta’s wealth with his affirmative action policies that mandated minority inclusion in government contracts. Under his leadership, minority share of city contracts rose from 1 percent to more than 35 percent. His crowning achievement as mayor was the construction of the massive new terminal at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport with significant minority participation, “ahead of schedule and under budget.” The man who from time to time was called “Action Jackson” was known as an articulate, charismatic and compassionate leader who served a record three terms as Atlanta’s mayor. Jackson earned his place in Atlanta history books for building Hartsfield-Jackson International, partially named for him in 2003, into the world’s busiest airport. He also became known nationally for developing a model for affirmative action programs that is now used in cities around the country. Jackson died June 23, 2003, at age 65. The documentary film, which is seeking to answer the question “How did Maynard do it?” is being produced by Auburn Avenue Films Inc. Award-winning filmmaker and photographer Henry Adebonojo is director of photography. Adebonojo received a Best Documentary Film Academy Awards nomination for his feature film “I Am Not Your Negro.” Georgia Public Broadcasting will serve as the presenting television station and an educational partner for the film. The partnership will ensure that lessons about Atlanta’s first African American mayor will be available through its Education curriculum that is offered to both teachers and students.

Jubilee of Reading for Youth read-in focuses on African American authors Readers have until Feb. 20 to register for the Feb. 25 Jubilee of Reading for Youth: African American Read-In at the Wesley ChapelWilliam C. Brown Library in Decatur. The African American Read-In, established by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English, encourages the community to select and read works written by African Americans and to create a greater awareness about the diversity of

voices among black writers. The read-in, sponsored by Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia, Angela Reid and DeKalb Public Library, offers participants an opportunity to read the works of well-known African American greats as well as those whose works are not as widely circulated. It takes place 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration is available at dekalblibrary. org/aareadin or 404-508-7190, Ext. 2257.

February 11, 2017

Black History

CrossRoadsNews

“He knows the most dedicated teachers and most supportive parents can make a difference.”

Symposium to focus on preserving Flat Rock, Shermantown communities Flat Rock and Shermantown residents, scholars, and theatrical entertainment will be on tap at a Feb. 23 symposium on the preservation of the two historic African American communities at the DeKalb History Center. The ninth annual Black History Month Celebration takes place 11 Paul Hudson T.A. Bryant Jr. Lora Mirza a.m. to 2 p.m. DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond will ties in the county. deliver opening remarks, and educator and Waits will share stories about what life storyteller LaDoris Davis will narrate and was like in Flat Rock’s heyday and bring moderate the event. artifacts from the museum, including family Topics will include life for African Ameri- photographs, small-farm equipment, jewelry, cans in these historic communities during and clothing. the Progressive Era to the Dr. Paul Hudson, history professor at present, Jim Crow laws, Perimeter College at Georgia State Unichurch life, education, versity, and Lora Mirza, retired associate the civil rights movement, library director at Perimeter at GSU, will and the challenges of prediscuss “A Mighty Foundation: The African serving the communities. American Community of Stone Mountain’s Johnny Waits, founder Shermantown.” and curator of the Flat Black masons and artisans quarried local Rock Archives Museum, granite and built stone monuments as well as will present “Deep Roots Johnny Waits the community of Shermantown. Hudson and a Well-Trodden Path: The Formation and Mirza will talk about the formation and and History of the Flat Rock Community.” often misunderstood history of ShermanFlat Rock is one of the oldest, continu- town and Stone Mountain. ously inhabited African American communiJeanne Cyriaque, vice chair of the board

at the Georgia Humanities Council and board adviser for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will discuss the importance and challenges of preserving historic African American communiJeanne Cyriaque ties. A panel will share stories of growing up in Flat Rock and Shermantown, including segregation, business ventures, and other related topics. Panelists from Shermantown are Chief James Rivers, Gloria Brown, Mamie Lane, Elaine Vaughn, and Evelyn Herans. Panelists from Flat Rock are the Rev. T.A. Bryant Jr., Bertha Clark, Alice Bailey, and Martha Williams. The speakers also will participate in the panel discussion moderated by Dr. Karcheik Sims-Alvarado, founder and CEO of Preserve Black America LLC. The center is on the second floor of the Historic DeKalb Courthouse, 101 E. Court Square in Decatur. For tickets and more information, visit dekalbhistory.org and click on Events & T:7.4667” Programs or call 404-373-1088, Ext. 26.

Observance launched in 1926 Black History Month was launched in 1926 as Negro History Week by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a historian, author, journalist and founder of the Association Carter G. Woodson for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History). The annual observance became Black History Month in 1976. Woodson chose February for the observance because Feb. 12 was President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and Feb. 14 was the accepted birthday of abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

The light from a few illuminates many. A single beacon of caring can light up an entire community. Our McDonald’s® 365Black® Awardees shine their beams of compassion in the communities they serve. It is through their example that we are all a little more enlightened. Find out more at 365Black.com

Rosie Manins / CrossRoadsNews

Principal Angela Thomas-Bethea said students are in awe of the new school.

New protocols in place for safety, extra security from page

said. “We have new protocols in place to ensure everything is safe and secure. In some ways it is a paradigm shift.” Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology was funded by a one penny E-SPLOST – Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. At full capacity, it will hold 900 students. It offers two magnet programs – a technology program for grades three through five and a kindergarten Spanish immersion program – and students get their own Chromebook laptop. Next year, Thomas-Bethea said the school will seek STEM certification. District 3 School Board member Dr. Michael Erwin, who represents the area and chaired the school’s naming committee, said honoring Obama is most fitting. “He knows the most dedicated teachers and most supportive parents can make a difference if students show up, pay attention, and apply themselves to the fullest extent possible,” he said. The Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology is at 3132 Clifton Church Road S.E. in Atlanta. For more information. visit http://www. barackobamaes.dekalb.k12.ga.us.

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SCHOOL,

Black History

CrossRoadsNews

February 11, 2017

Ralph David Abernathy III’s plan was to turn the building into a museum in honor of his mother and father.

Restoration of historic church could be underway this year By Rosie Manins

The story goes that the stones used to build the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church building were laid in 1906 by former slaves. Today those stones are crumbling as the spiritual home of civil rights leader and pastor Ralph David Abernathy sits vacant and boarded up between a wings restaurant and a barbershop in Vine City in downtown Atlanta. But the Abernathy family’s long-hopedfor restoration of the historic church could begin in the next few months. Annette Abernathy, widow of Ralph David Abernathy III, said her husband’s plan was to turn it into a museum in honor of his mother and father and their involvement in the civil rights movement. “The family is planning to move forward with that vision,” she said Feb. 7. The Ralph David Abernathy III Foundation, which owns the church Annette Abernathy building, was awarded a $451,571 grant from the National Park Service on Jan. 12 to undertake a condition assessment of the building, architectural and engineering plans, and hazardous material abatement. The grant was one of 39 totaling $7.75 million awarded in 2016 through the Park Service African American Civil Rights Grant Program that aims to document, interpret, and preserve the sites and stories related to the African American struggle for equal rights. The historic West Hunter church project was the only Georgia recipient of the 2016 grants, funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and administered by the NPS.

Historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church, spiritual home of the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, sits vacant and boarded up as the Park Service explores making it a National Historic Site.

Rosie Manins / CrossRoadsNews

The Park Service also is investigating the possibility of making the old church a National Historic Site. Annette Abernathy is succeeding her husband as CEO of the foundation set up in his name and will be leading the restoration efforts. Her husband was the son of Ralph David Abernathy, the civil rights leader, close friend and lieutenant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Abernathy III, a former state senator and a preacher, died of liver cancer on March 17, 2016, two days before his 57th birthday. Even though his checkered life included

a stint in prison for filing $5,700 in false expense reports, he spent the last year of his life trying to raise $3.5 million to build a “freedom plaza” outside West Hunter Street Baptist, an iconic landmark from the civil rights era where his father was pas- Ralph Abernathy III tor from 1961 to 1990, the longest of any other pastor. Abernathy III bought the building about 16 years ago with plans to turn it into a museum and make it a central part of a plaza

that would honor his parents, Ralph and Juanita, whose civil rights contributions have often been overshadowed by those of King, his more wellknown friend. The two were shoulder to shoulder in strategy sessions and at marches and were jailed together 17 times in the struggle for civil rights. Abernathy III’s vision for the plaza included a 25-foot bronze monument dedicated to his parents, Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and John Lewis. There were also plans for a wall featuring the names of all freedom fighters and SCLC staff. The historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church, which was organized in 1881, was located in the now boarded-up building at 775 Martin

Martin and Ralph: A lifelong friendship beyond the movement By Rosie Manins

Exactly 55 years ago on Feb. 11, 1962, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “A Knock at Midnight” sermon to the West Hunter congregation welcoming his best friend Ralph David Abernathy as the church’s new pastor. “God has blessed West Hunter,” King preached. “He has given to you a man who’s had a peculiar awareness of the need for the bread of social justice. He’s given to you a man who has a peculiar awareness of the problems that individuals face in life.” Abernathy was born in Linden, Ala., on March 11, 1926. His father, William Abernathy, was the first African American to vote in Marengo County, Ala., and the first to serve on a grand jury there. Abernathy was ordained a Baptist minister in 1948, and two years later he hosted a radio show, becoming the first black man on radio in Montgomery, Ala. In 1951, he became the senior pastor of the largest black church in Montgomery, the First Baptist Church, where he served for 10 years. In 1954, Abernathy met King and the two became close friends. Together they created the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1955, leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott that ended successfully in December 1956. The following month, on Jan. 10, 1957, Abernathy’s home was bombed as a result of the boycott, although his family was unharmed. That year, King and Abernathy, together with other black ministers and leaders, cofounded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Abernathy became founding financial secretary-treasurer. After the success of the Freedom Riders

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy spearheaded successful nonviolent movements across the country and spent leisure time together with their wives, children and friends.

in 1961, King persuaded Abernathy to become pastor of the West Hunter Street Baptist Church, and the Abernathy family moved from Montgomery to Atlanta in 1962. Close to where Abernathy and King lived, the historic church was a logical meeting place and served as the headquarters for several organizations and civil rights leaders. King and Abernathy spearheaded successful nonviolent movements across the country. They traveled together, often sharing hotel rooms, and spent leisure time together with their wives, children and friends. They also were jailed together 17 times

for their involvement in the civil rights movement. Their work helped secure passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the abolition of Jim Crow segregation laws in the South. Abernathy suffered beatings by Southern policemen and state troopers, 44 arrests, and daily threats against his life and those of his wife, Juanita, and their five children. His family land and car were confiscated and some of his colleagues in the movement were murdered. Abernathy took over as president of the

SCLC after King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, leading the Poor People’s Campaign in Washington and other movement projects. He served as an advisory committee member of the Congress on Racial Equality, and in 1989, the year before his death, Abernathy penned a controversial autobiography titled “And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: An Autobiography,” about his and King’s involvement in the movement. Abernathy died at age 64 on April 17, 1990. Today, West Hunter Street Baptist Church, on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, is led by senior pastor Toussaint Hill Jr., who was appointed in July 2006.

February 11, 2017

Black History

CrossRoadsNews

“These funds are an important down payment to save this church and stories of the people who worshipped here.”

Abernathy family awaits funds to begin urgent work on church Pieces are missing from the stainedglass windows of the old church building, and its doors are locked. Bars cover street-level windows.

Luther King Jr. Drive S.W., formerly West Hunter Street, in Atlanta from 1906 to 1973. In its heyday, the church was at the center of the civil rights movement. Hundreds of activists were trained there in nonviolence, and many important decisions – including the decision for the first march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., in 1963 – were made under its now collapsing ceilings. The National Park Service launched the West Hunter Street Baptist Church Special Resource Study after Congress passed Public Law 113-291 on Dec. 19, 2014, to seek to preserve civil rights monuments. Through 2016, the law directed the NPS to evaluate the national significance of the West Hunter Street Church site and the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park System. Annette Abernathy said Tuesday that she and other family members are grateful for the Park Service’s grant and its exploration of National Historic Site designation for the old church building.

She said her family wants to see her husband’s vision for the church come to fruition and that as soon as the money is in the bank, contractors will begin the most urgent work. “It’s my hope that if we are able to begin soon, we should be able to have it completed by the end of the summer or before fall,” she said. “That may be a little aggressive, but that

is my hope.” Abernathy said the most urgent work includes repairing the historic church’s roof to stop further water damage; securing the original stained-glass windows so they are not broken or further damaged; cleaning the church; securing it against vagrants and homeless people; ventilation to prevent mold buildup; and removal of any hazardous mate-

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Johnson introduced study act for church In February 2014, U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson introduced the West Hunter Street Baptist Church Study Act to the U.S. House of Representatives. It directed the secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the historic church and the block on which it is located. The act required the secretary to evaluate the Hank Johnson national significance of the site; determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park System; consider alternatives for the site’s preservation, protection and interpretation; consider the effect the site would have on commercial and recreational activities as part of the park system; and identify authorities involved in the site for land use decisions. The act had 77 co-sponsors and went through the Committee on Natural Resources, and in September 2014, it passed in the House. It was received that month in the Senate, read twice, and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources before being passed by Congress on Dec. 19, 2014. In January 2016, the National Park Service announced official plans to begin exploring the possibility of making the old church a National Historic Site. Based on the special resource study, the Park Service will determine whether the historic church meets criteria for inclusion in the National Park System and make recommendations to the secretary of Interior, who would then forward the recommendations to Congress. The process is expected to take several years.

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rial such as asbestos and lead paint. Just a few blocks from the old church, contractors are building a $1.5 billion stadium to replace the Georgia Dome. Since 1973, when the church’s congregation moved two miles to its current, larger site of worship at 1040 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., the historic church building has been largely vacant. Bars cover street-level windows and pieces of glass are missing from the faded stained-glass creations above. Its large wooden doors that once welcomed congregation members and civil rights activists are permanently locked, and a billboard frame on the church’s façade hangs empty. The Ralph David Abernathy III Foundation applied for the Park Service grant in October 2016 with the support of U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, who represents the 4th District that includes South DeKalb. Johnson said the history of the civil rights movement is a lesson in democratic ideals and it is our duty to preserve the landmarks and to share their significance with future generations. “These funds are an important down payment to save this historic church and the important stories of the people who worshipped here,” Johnson said.

Black History

The African American Philharmonic Orchestra will perform on Feb. 14 at the Decatur Library in the Black History Month series.

Orchestra to perform at Decatur Library

The African American Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of legendary conductor John T. Peek, will bring its brand of jazz to the Decatur Library on Feb. 14 as part of the library’s Black History Month series. Peek, now 86, co-founded the orchestra on Feb. 12, 1988, with his wife, Carrie Whaley Peek, and Tommy Stewart, a trumpet player, arranger, producer, composer and pianist, to showcase professional musicians and composers of African American descent in the Atlanta area. At the time, it was one of only four all-black orchestras in the country and at least one or no more than two black musicians were playing in most major orchestras nationally. There also were only 186 black musicians who were qualified to participate in major orchestras, a Rockefeller Foundation article said. Peek’s credits include traveling with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Sarah Vaughan, Little Richard, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Billy Eckstine and Louis Armstrong. Funding for the performance is provided by the Friends of Decatur Library. The library is at 215 Sycamore St. in downtown Decatur. For more about the performance, call 404-370-3070. For more information about the orchestra, visit aapomusic. com.

Discussion centered on state of black business

African American state lawmakers and local government officials will discuss “Black History: The Past, Present and Future of Black Businesses” on Feb. 23 at the APEX Museum in Atlanta. During the 6-to-8 p.m. program, state Reps. Sharon BeasleyTeague (D-Red Oak), Patty Bentley (D-Butler) and “Able” Mable Thomas (D-Atlanta) will make presentations, and there will be remarks from John Eaves, chair of the Fulton County Commission, and DeKalb CEO Mike Thurmond. The event, which will focus on the history, current state and future of black businesses in metro Atlanta, is free and open to the public, but registration is required at www.minorityatc.org. It is co-hosted by Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick (D-Lithonia), the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and Minority Access to Capital Inc. The museum is at 135 Auburn Ave. N.E. in Atlanta.

Choirs celebrating ‘Art of the Negro Spiritual’ Eight church choirs from across metro Atlanta will celebrate Black History in song on Feb. 26 at Saint Philip AME Church in Atlanta. “The Art of the Negro Spiritual” begins at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary. It will feature Saint Philip Choir #1 under the direction of Dr. Anthony B. Stinson. Guess choirs include Berean Seventh-day Adventist’s Voices of Inspiration with director Luther Washington; Big Bethel AME’s Big Bethel Chorale under Chuck Lyons; the Chancel Choir of East Point First Mallalieu United Methodist under Nate Fisher; Ebenezer Baptist Church Choir under Dr. Tony McNeil; the Anthem Choir of Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist under Cass Johnson; the Sanctuary Choir from Saint Paul AME; and Choir No. 1 from Allen Temple AME. It is free to attend. The church is at 240 Candler Road S.E. at the intersection of Memorial Drive. For more information, visit saintphilip.org or call L’Tanya Moore-Copeland at 404-371-0749, Ext. 8423.

CrossRoadsNews

February 11, 2017

The audience gets to decide whether Flipper was treated fairly before, during and after the trial.

NCNW celebrates, reflects on black history

Singers, dancers and poets will perform Bethune, one of 17 children born to on Feb. 13 as part of a Black History Month former slaves, grew up in rural South program at Mary McLeod Bethune Middle Carolina and attended segregated mission School in Decatur. schools. She initially wanted to be a misThe theme of the program, presented sionary but turned to education after the by the DeKalb Section of the National Presbyterian mission board rejected her Council of Negro Women, is “Connecting application to go to Africa. Our Past, Present and Future Through the She founded the Daytona Educational Celebration of Black History Month.” and Industrial School for Negro Girls in NCNW members will wear Afrocen1904. In 1923, the school merged with the tric attire and dish up soul food with an all-male Cookman Institute of Jacksonville African twist. The free program, which Mary McLeod Bethune and eventually became Bethune-Cookman begins at 6:30 p.m., will reflect on the founded a school for black College, a four-year, coeducational institugirls in 1904 and NCNW. contributions of African Americans in the tion. Bethune served as college president community. It takes place at a school named for educator until 1942 and again from 1946-47. and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, who lived The middle school is at 5200 Covington Highway. For from 1875-1955 and founded the NCNW in 1935. more information, visit http://dekalbncnw.org.

ConunDrums showcasing West African rhythms The all-female percussion ensemble ConunDrums will play West African rhythms on Feb. 25 at the RedanTrotti Library in Lithonia. The Atlanta-based group, which has performed at parades, conferences, festivals, worship services, nonprofit fundraisers and parties, will discuss the history of drums and the music of West Africa. ConunDrums celebrated its 15th anniversary in November. The program, which is suitable for all ages, begins at noon. Funding is provided by the Friends of RedanTrotti Library. The library is at 1569 Wellborn Road. For more in- Percussion ensemble ConunDrums will perform on Feb. 25 formation, call 770-482-3821. at the Redan-Trotti Library in Lithonia.

The transformation of Garvey’s ‘Mighty Race’

Freedom songs from civil rights movement

Drummers, dancers and storytellers will entertain at “Black History Month: Transformation” on Feb. 15 at the Flat Shoals Library in Decatur. The 4-to-8 p.m. event for all ages will explore feats accomplished by black people before slavery to present day and the future of what orator and social activist Marcus Garvey called a “Mighty Race.” Garvey (1887-1940), who was born in Jamaica, was a proponent Marcus Garvey of the Black Nationalism and PanAfricanism movements. He inspired the Nation of Islam and the Rastafarian movement and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. The Friends of Flat Shoals Library provided funding for the program. The library is at 4022 Flat Shoals Parkway. For more information, call 404-244-4370.

The power of community singing through the freedom songs of the civil rights movement will be discussed on Feb. 15 at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library in Decatur. Singer and educator Joyce L. Williams will facilitate “Songs of Hope, Songs of Freedom” beginning at 11 a.m. The 90-minute program will explore the messages and meanings of freedom songs and how they continue to play a vital role in the struggle for human rights. Residents of all ages are welcome to participate regardless of experience. Williams is half of the duo Joyce & Jacque and has shared the stage with notable artists such as Odetta, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, the Pointer Sisters, Gladys Knight, and Sweet Honey in the Rock. The library is at 2861 Wesley Chapel Road. For more information, call 404-286-6980.

Play revisits court-martial of Henry O. Flipper Former Army captain, paratrooper and combat veteran Bob Rogers will dramatize the military trial of former slave Henry O. Flipper on Feb. 28 at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library. Rogers’ one-act play, “Lieutenant Flipper’s Trial,” begins at 7 p.m. for adult patrons. Henry Ossian Flipper (1856-1940), who was born in Georgia, was the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was tried for embezzlement of government money, found guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman, and dismissed from the U.S. Army. “Lieutenant Flipper’s Trial” dramatizes the 1881 court-martial, and the audience gets to decide whether Flipper was treated fairly before, during and after the trial and take part in the “talk-back” session and game show. Prizes are included. In 1976, Flipper was granted an honorable discharge by the Department of the Army. President Bill Clinton granted him a full pardon on Feb. 19, 1999. The library is at 2861 Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur. For more information, call 404-286-6980.

Lt. Henry O. Flipper was West Point’s first black graduate.

Graphic novelist on black art in historic times Visual/teaching artist Kevin Sipp will present Black Art in Historical Context on Feb. 25 at the Stonecrest Library. Shipp, who is also a curator and graphic novel author, will explore perspectives on American slavery, Emancipation, Reconstruction and the Great Migration as seen in the art of those times, and lead an exploration of art of the some of the most compelling events in Black History.

The program starts at 2 p.m. Sipp, who plans and coordinates projects for Gallery 72, a facility of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs, is a former curator and exhibition designer for Hammonds House Museum. He is author of the graphic novel “The Amazing Adventures of David Walker Blackstone.” The library is at 3123 Klondike Road in Stonecrest. For more information, call 770-482-3828.

February 11, 2017

Black History

CrossRoadsNews

“At age 6, Herndon was selling peanuts. I decided I could help others find their paths and turn their lives around.”

Holder, scholars, civil rights and policy leaders talk race at Carter Center Eric H. Holder Jr., U.S. attorney general under President Barack Obama, will headline a panel of scholars, civil rights leaders and policy leaders discussing “Race: The American Cauldron” on Feb. 15 at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. The New Dialogue on Race in America event is part of a series of solutions-focused discussions. Holder was attorney general from 2009 to 2015. The panel includes authors Michael Eric Dyson and Elizabeth Hinton, an assistant Harvard University professor, Black

initiative to develop bipartisan insights and recommendations to the new administration in the first year in office – takes place 3 to 4:45 p.m. Doors open at 2. The event is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. A Cappella Books will have copies of books by Dyson, Hinton and Blackmon available for purchase and signing. Eric Holder Jr. Douglas Blackmon Michael E. Dyson Elizabeth Hinton DeRay McKesson The Carter Center is at 441 Freedom Lives Matter’s DeRay McKesson, and Pulit- discussion. Parkway N.E. in Atlanta. zer Prize winner and former AJC reporter The panel – which is part of the Miller For more information, contact Kate HuDouglas Blackmon, who will moderate the Center’s First Year Project, a three-year ber at khuber@virginia.edu.

Inaugural Herndon Award goes to United Way’s Milton Little Jr. By Rosie Manins

Atlanta businessman Milton J. Little Jr., who is president and CEO of United Way of Greater Atlanta, will receive the first Alonzo F. Herndon Lifetime Achievement Award this fall. The award created by the Alonzo F. and Norris B. Herndon Foundation honors individuals who mirror the entrepreneurial and community spirit of Alonzo F. Herndon, a freed slave who became Atlanta’s first black millionaire. The foundation, named for him and his only son, announced the award on Feb. 8 at the historic Herndon Home museum in Vine City. The Alonzo F. Herndon Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented Oct. 21 during the inaugural fundraising gala at the Atlanta History Center. Little, a graduate of Morehouse College and Columbia University, controls more than $100 million in revenue among more than 200 groups in metro Atlanta. He said Herndon became one of his role models when he was a young child learning “Negro History” in school and he is honored by the award. “At the age of 6, Herndon was selling peanuts,” Little said. “I decided that I could help others find their paths and turn their lives around.” The foundation announced the award recipient at the Herndon Game Changer Program for young entrepreneurs that trains high school students in entrepreneurship and exposes them to business leaders. The foundation said that Little and future recipients will contribute to the wider community and make a difference in people’s lives through investment, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy. Herndon’s incredible rags-to-riches story starts with his birth into slavery as the son of his white master and a slave woman. He was emancipated as a child and went from being a penniless sharecropper to Atlanta’s first black millionaire as founder of the Atlanta Life Insurance Co., one of the top African American companies in the United States.

‘A social entrepreneur at heart’ Roosevelt Giles, chairman of the Herndon Foundation board, said there are similarities in Herndon’s and Little’s stories. Both overcame circumstantial hurdles to achieve great things, Giles said. “Milton is a social entrepreneur at heart,” Giles said. “He was the first African American to run United Way … who better to receive this inaugural award?” The gala in October will raise money for the foundation’s 3-year-old Game Changer Program for high school entrepreneurs, which is expanding each year. The Game Changer Program is free for participants and offers $2,500 in college scholarship money and a laptop to high school graduates. This year, 28 students are enrolled. Nine

Rosie Manins / CrossRoadsNews

Milton J. Little Jr. (left) talks with Herndon Foundation board Chair Roosevelt Giles and Salem High senior Elijah Fleming Feb. 8 at Herndon Home.

of them are seniors who expect to graduate in June. Among them is Salem High School senior Elijah Fleming, 17, of Conyers. Elijah said that he is enjoying the program. “It’s going to help me later on in the future because I want to be a commercial pilot and then open my own airline service business,” he said Feb. 8. “I will help people get around the world.” Come the start of the new school year in the fall, the program will be open to 10thand 11th-graders only and will be completed over two or three years. The foundation anticipates enrolling 40 students in the fall and accommodating more each year as the program expands. Julissa White-Smith, who manages the program, said its students represent more

than 12 schools across metropolitan Atlanta. “Our mission is to instill the entrepreneurial spirit in our young people,” she said. Sponsorship comes from the Atlanta Life Financial Group and other local businesses and organizations. Program participants meet second Saturdays monthly and work on business models, marketing, and other entrepreneurial skills. To graduate, they must present full business plans to a panel of judges during a business expo. More information on the program and gala can be found on the foundation’s website, www.herndonfdn.org.

Milton J. Little Jr. Little, 61, has spent 25 years working in

public and private philanthropy, creating work force and educational programs, building national partnerships to fund housing, and developing corporate philanthropy and community involvement strategies. He is chairman of the Southern Education Foundation’s board of trustees, and as president and CEO of United Way of Greater Atlanta, Little determines how its more than $100 million in annual revenue gets divvied up among more than 200 philanthropic organizations in Greater Atlanta’s 13 counties. He has been a key figure in addressing homelessness in Atlanta, including his work on the Regional Commission on Homelessness. Little is a past president and CEO of United Way Massachusetts Bay and held executive leadership positions at the National Urban League in his native New York, where he launched innovative housing partnerships involving federal departments and corporations. Under Little’s leadership in 2010, nearly 17,000 Georgians received $21 million in emergency financial housing assistance through the Georgia Fresh Start initiative. During the devastating 2009 floods in North Georgia, Little and his team brought together community leaders to stabilize the region, bringing much needed assistance to victims. Little also worked at Lucent Technologies and AT&T, where he developed philanthropic strategies that became the forerunners of many programs that are today reducing disparities in education, employment, income, and health in communities nationwide. He earned a B.A. degree in sociology from Morehouse College in Atlanta and an M.A. degree in urban sociology and social policy from Columbia University in New York City. He also studied public administration at New York University.

Alonzo F. Herndon’s rags-to-riches story serves as inspiration Alonzo F. Herndon (1858-1927) was born into slavery, emancipated at the age of 7, worked as a sharecropper about 40 miles east of Atlanta, and opened three barbershops in the city after learning the trade. He went on to invest in real estate, then entered the insurance industry, founding in 1905 the Atlanta Life Insurance Co. – one of just five African American insurance companies to achieve legal reserve status at the time. Herndon’s business boomed and he expanded into Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. As Atlanta’s first black millionaire, Herndon and his first wife, Adrienne, built Herndon Home at 587 University Place N.W. in the Vine City neighborhood of downtown Atlanta. Adrienne designed the two-story brick home, which took three years to construct and was completed in 1910 by predominantly African American contractors. Just four months after the Herndons moved into the house, Adrienne died. Their son, Norris, lived there, and before his death in 1977, he established the Herndon Foundation, which operates the house as a museum. Herndon Home became a National Historic Landmark in 2000 and is open for public tours.

Herndon Home, built in Vine City by Atlanta’s first black millionaire, Alonzo F. Herndon, and his wife, Adrienne, is a National Historic Landmark.

CrossRoadsNews

February 11, 2017

Join us for two fabulous days of Black History Month celebration at...

MACY’S LENOX SQUARE! THURSDAY, FEB. 16TH, 7PM Join Grammy-nominated R&B vocalist BJ The Chicago Kid, and hip-hop lyricist, KAMAU “In Conversation” for a discussion on Black Art and Expression. Plus, catch a special

BJ The Chicago Kid Vocalist

performance by the Universoul Circus!

FRIDAY, FEB. 17TH, 7PM You’re invited to a cooking demo and discussion with award-winning Macy’s Culinary Council Chef, Marcus Samuelsson who’ll be sharing stories and preparing recipes from his latest cookbook! Enjoy music by The Rakiem Walker Project, and performances by the

KAMAU Lyricist

dance group W.A.F.F.L.E.! Make any Home purchase of $35* or more and take home a signed copy** of “The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem”! Plus, score a $10 Macy’s Gift Card† at event check-in when you RSVP online!

Marcus Samuelsson RSVP for both events today at

Macy’s Culinary Council Chef

macys.com/celebrate

Event subject to change or cancellation. First come, first served. *Purchase must be made at Macy’s Lenox Square on 2/17/17. **One per customer, while supplies last and time permits. †Gift Card valid 2/17/17-2/24/17. Both Gift Card and Book distributed 2/17/17. 50863_N7010168B.indd 1

2/3/17 6:25 PM