Posted on Monday, January 16, 2017

Discovering Atlanta Through the Eyes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Driver Tom Houck…A Repost…

(me and my hubby & Tom Houck and another tour goer)

Editor’s Note: I originally wrote this post in 2016, but in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday today, I thought I would share it again. Enjoy 🙂

Hello World,

Last week my husband Robert and I were thinking about what we could do to celebrate the sixth anniversary of our first date yesterday. As I was listening to 1380AM WAOK on the way home from work on Wednesday, I realized I had a fun and educational option. Derrick Boazman host of “Too Much Truth” was interviewing Tom Houck whom I had never heard of before. Tom, a white man, was the driver of Dr. King and his family for several months. In a gruff, hearty voice likely emboldened because of the precious history he possesses, Tom described how being kicked out of high school in Jacksonville, Florida for merely participating in a Selma march in 1965 eventually led to being in the inner sanctum of the very leader of the Civil Rights Movement as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s driver.

In 1966, Tom’s civil rights activism brought him to Atlanta to work for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In one of those fortuitous moments that forever changes someone’s life, Dr. King saw Tom across the street from the SCLC where he had gone to make a call on the pay phone and invited the 19-year-old to have lunch with him and his family. That lunch led to him being asked to drive for the King Family. Tom describes his experiences as their driver as a part of his Civil Rights Tour, a bus tour in which Tom takes people to see the historic sites in Atlanta that provided the landscape of the capital of the Civil Rights Movement.

At the end of the conversation, Tom offered two tickets to the first person who e-mailed him the answer to this question: What was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s real first name. I was literally pulling into my driveway when I heard him ask the question. I parked, unlocked my front door and ran to my computer, hurriedly e-mailing him the answer: Michael. For the first five years of Dr. King’s life, his name was Michael. However, when his father Michael King Sr. changed his name to Martin Luther King Sr. after becoming inspired by Martin Luther, his son, who was Michael King Jr., became Martin Luther King Jr. I nearly fell off of my bed when I received an e-mail later that evening from Tom letting me know that I had won the tickets! I told my husband we could celebrate our history as a couple by celebrating the history of our beloved city. He agreed that it would be a great way to celebrate our first date anniversary!

Tom Houck beginning his tour…

My hubby focusing on Tom…

Dr. King’s first home is in the Old Fourth Ward area of Atlanta which was once known as Shermantown after General Sherman took over the area during the Civil War. The home is on Auburn Avenue known as Sweet Auburn, but I didn’t know that Auburn Avenue was once Wheat Street. However, the name of the street was later changed because Wheat Street was thought to be too rural of a name for a metropolitan street. Yes, Sweet Wheat doesn’t sound as cool for sure! But that explains the name of the historical Wheat Street Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue. Wheat Street Baptist Church was the site of the church scenes filmed in the movie “Selma,” Tom told us.

In the beginning of the tour, we went by Dr. King’s elementary school Howard Elementary School. The school building, which is vacant, later became a high school which has notable graduates including Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first black mayor; Walt Frazier and Vernon Jordan. Tom also took us to the SNCC Freedom House. Freedom Houses were designated places where civil rights workers could retreat and reside.

The site of the pay phone where Tom met Dr. King…

Tom met Dr. King across the street of the SCLC headquarters, which I took a picture of from the bus…Not the best picture, but you get the idea hopefully…

Morris Brown College, the only HBCU founded by black people, was organized in the basement of Big Bethel AME Church, which is located in the Sweet Auburn district…Civil rights leader Hosea Williams and Derrick Bozeman are Morris Brown College graduates…

See that blue sign? It is the sign for the original site of the Atlanta Daily World, the oldest black newspaper in the city…It was once a Republican newspaper as blacks were mostly Republican years ago since most segregationists were Democrats…

A Loss Prevention Hero series mural honoring Congressman John Lewis…

The second The Loss Prevention Hero series mural honoring Mrs. Evelyn Gibson Lowery, the deceased wife of Rev. Joseph Lowery. Mrs. Lowery founded SCLC/Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now, Inc.

Although it wasn’t an official part of the tour, Tom told us that Citizens Trust Bank, which was founded by black businessman Heman Perry, on Auburn Avenue, was where he received his first car loan! AND Daddy King, who was on the bank’s board of directors, co-signed the loan!!!

Before we left the Sweet Auburn district, we learned about John Wesley Dobbs, a rail clerk who was unofficially named the mayor of Sweet Auburn because of his work to achieve equality for black people…Seemingly in homage to Dobbs, Atlanta’s public schools were integrated on the day of this death, August 30, 1961, Tom told us…Above is a statue honoring Dobbs, who is the grandfather of Maynard Jackson…All of his six daughters graduated from Spelman College. They are reported to be the largest group of sisters to graduate from the school…Incidentally, I interviewed Dr. June Dobbs Butts, the youngest of the sisters and a sex therapist, for an UPSCALE magazine article I wrote years ago…

We rode by the now defunct Terminal Station, which was once a prominent train station in the city. Atlanta was once named Terminus which I originally learned after watching “The Walking Dead,” which is back tonight!!! Yay!!! And before Terminus, Atlanta was known as Marthasville. I cannot see Atlanta residents calling ourselves Termliens or Marthaaliens so I’m glad we changed to Atlanta because ATLlien is so doggone cool…

We passed through the Castleberry Hill District, which was revitalized by Herman J. Russell, a construction magnate…I had the opportunity to meet him just months before he passed away in 2014. He attended the National Book Club Conference while promoting his book Building Atlanta: How I Broke Through Segregation to Launch a Business Empire.”

Tom took us to Dr. King’s last home before he died which is located at 234 Sunset Avenue…

Daryl, a recent graduate of Clark Atlanta University, sang freedom songs as we passed by some of the historical stops…

Along the way, we passed by Washington High School where Dr. King graduated from when he was 15 years old to attend Morehouse College. I did not know that Lena Horne also attended Washington High School!

One of the stops was the home of Alonzo Herndon, who was once Atlanta’s wealthiest black man. Herndon built his fortune on his barbering business. His stately home is across the street from the home of Grace Towns Hamilton, the first black woman elected to the Georgia General Assembly. Unfortunately, her home was barely visible due to the overgrowth of weeds as well as the overall decay of the structure…We also passed through the Atlanta University Center and by the original Paschal’s Restaurant location as well as Busy Bee Café.

One of our final stops was South-View Cemetery, which is located on Jonesboro Road and was designed “to provide a respectable place for Christian burials” for all people including black people who were once not allowed to be buried in certain cemetaries. It opened on April 21, 1886. It began as 26 acres and is now over 100 acres. 80,000 people are buried there including Herman J. Russell and the wife of John Lewis, Lillian Miles Lewis. Below are pics of the graves of other important people who are also buried there…

The grave site of John Wesley Dobbs

The grave sites of Daddy King and his wife Alberta King…

If you look at to upper left of the grave marker, you can see this tiny picture of Daddy King….

Dr. King was originally buried in South-View cemetery before his body was moved in 1970 to its current location alongside his wife at the King Center. One the way back to Auburn Avenue where we started the tour, we passed by Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. Tom told us that Marcus Garvey was imprisoned there which is interesting to me as the daughter of Jamaican immigrants.

We learned much more that I wasn’t even able to include in this already lengthy blog post!

And hopefully, you will be inspired to take a Civil Rights Tour with Tom Houck, the driver of Dr. King and his family. For more information, go to civilrightstour.com.

Enjoy your Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday!

Any thoughts?

Posted on Wednesday, January 4, 2017

The Top 10 Blog Posts and or Articles for Black Christian Women in December 2016

hidden-figures

Hello World,

Time goes by sooo fast! We’re already four days into the New Year! Happy New Year by the way! I haven’t made my resolutions and or goals yet for 2017 yet, but I take a month to form resolutions and goals for the New Year anyway. I believe it gives me the chance to discern how God is speaking to me about the New Year! Anywho, but if you don’t mind, let’s take a very quick look back at 2016 for my Top 10 monthly roundup of blog posts and or articles for black Christian women! Again, you don’t have to be a black Christian woman to to check them out:) ! ) Let me know if you like my list! Enjoy and share!

“A Requiem For Susie Jackson, The Black Woman Shot 11 Times By Dylann Roof” by Julia Craven

susie-jackson Excerpt: I didn’t know you, but you remind me of my great-grandmother. She, like you, was a God-fearing, church-loving woman, and she couldn’t really say “no” to anything herself. Your fluffy gray curls were similar to hers, and her skin was a beautiful dark brown-red like yours. My great-grandmother and you were both Church Mothers, older women who have demonstrated their strong faith and now help guide the rest of the congregation down the right path. See more at: huffingtonpost.com.

“Michael Slager Goes Free, but Walter Scott’s Mom Declares, ‘It’s Not Over’” by Jason Ryan

Excerpt: Scott’s mother, Judy Scott, said her religious faith gave her the strength to endure a six-week trial and the disappointing verdict it produced.“It’s not over. Y’all hear me?” said Judy Scott, firmly. “It’s not over ’til God says its over.”“We have the federal trial and another trial,” she said. “I’m just waiting on the Lord.” See more at: thedailybeast.com.

“Something About Mary” by Alisha L. Gordon

Excerpt: Walking home, I was a crying mess. What were the chances that this woman’s name was Mary, a name associated with hope, obedience, willingness, and faith? How symbolic it was for her to share her story of hope, obedience, willingness, and faith towards her mother only to be left without a place to lay her head? Without proper shelter, food, clothing? See more at: alishagordon.com.

“Nigerian Muslim Woman Donates Food To Christian Widows For Christmas” by Harry Farley

Excerpt: Tijjani said the gift was inspired by Pastor Yohanna Buru, leader of Christ Evangelical Church Ministry, for consistently giving out food and water to refugees and prison inmates during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan in recent years. Buru would cook food and hand out drinks to the poor while his Muslim neighbours fasted, said Tijjani. See more at: christiantoday.com.

Interview: ‘Hidden Figures’ Author Margot Lee Shetterly Talks Uncovering a Rich and Powerful Story (Opens Christmas Day)” by Aramide A. Tinubu

Excerpt: It was really my husband who helped spark the idea. We were visiting my parents almost exactly six years ago and had run into one lady who is a Sunday School teacher, and my dad was talking about the work that she’d done, and it just turned into this larger conversation about these different women. My husband was like, “This is amazing! Wait a minute nobody knows about this!” And I was like, “Wow, I don’t know this story.” That was really the beginning of me saying, “OK, I need to know this story.” Six years later here we are. See more at: shadowandact.com.

“Me, All Of Me” by Sherri Shepherd

Excerpt: “You’re very funny, Sherri. But because you’re fat, you’ll never play anything but the neighbor or the best friend.” After my manager said these words to me, with a pat on my back, I heard her voice and her words ring in my ears for years. For a long time I was self-conscious about my body. As an actress, I never felt pretty enough or skinny enough to compete with the women I saw on television and on the big screen. But thank goodness for that other voice inside of me, the one that would say: “You can do this girl! You’re funny, you’re pretty, you’re funny…” See more at: aplus.com.

“I Was Ostracized For Discussing Racial Injustice in My Church” by Timil Jones

Excerpt: I would love to tell you that I planned this, that I was smart enough to conduct a social experiment of epic proportions. But I didn’t plan anything about the last two years of my life. When I moved to suburban Atlanta, I was faced with a choice. Either my family would attend a neighborhood church or we would travel to one of the well-known, established, and predominantly black churches in Atlanta. Our decision was to place our membership in a congregation in our community. I wasn’t going to flee 45 minutes away from my neighborhood. I was going to place roots with the people of God in my community, even if they didn’t worship in the style of worship I was accustomed to, and even if they didn’t have my world views. See more at: sheknows.com.

“‘Always Wear a Hat to Church’ and Other Advice From Local 105-year-old for Long, Successful Life” by Carrie Steinweg

Excerpt: She traveled back to New Orleans from time to time where her grandparents — a white man who ran a rice plantation and his black wife — lived together on acreage where they raised and grew all their own food. She still leans toward fresh foods, something her daughter, a nursing administrator, attributes to her longevity. See more at: hfchronicle.com.

“Stained-Glass Ceiling Finally ‘Shattered’ at Bethany Baptist Church with Ordination of First Female” by Margo McKenzie

Excerpt: Although she was called to preach in 1998, it took this long-term Bed-Stuy resident eighteen years to get to ordination. In the meantime, however, she served as prayer partner, encourager, teacher, director, liturgical dancer, worshipper and more. She acquired several degrees, including her Master’s of Divinity from the New York Theological Seminary. See more at: ourtimepress.com.

“Pastors Part Ways After Partnership Between Black and White Congregations Dissolves” by Quintin J. Simmons

Excerpt: A black congregation in a beautiful old church on H Street is fighting to preserve its space and identity as the surrounding neighborhood gentrifies. “I need people to understand that the cross is not for sale,” says Rev. Jalene C. Chase-Sands, pastor of Douglas Memorial United Methodist Church. She is referring to the funds her church will be forfeiting by walking away from a 3-year-old arrangement with a church called Table. See more at: washingtoncitypaper.com.

If you know of any black Christian women bloggers and or writers, please e-mail me at jacqueline@afterthealtarcall.com as I’m always interested in expanding my community of black Christian women blogs and websites. As I noted before, while this is a roundup of interesting blog posts and or articles for black Christian women, you don’t have to be one to appreciate these pieces 🙂

Any thoughts?

Posted on Friday, December 30, 2016

Retrospect: My Top 10 Posts of 2016….

bishop eddie long book cover

Hello World,

Wow! In just TWO more days, a New Year will dawn and 2016 will be in our past…One of the ways that I like to reflect on a year is to take a look at what made you come to this blog! Thank you for stopping by After the Altar Call and hopefully staying as a subscriber (THE SUBSCRIBE BUTTONS ARE TO THE RIGHT!)! So take a look below at your favorite blog posts of 2016!

1. Bishop Eddie Long Releases New Book ‘The Untold Story’ While Pastor Jamal Bryant Sidesteps Paternity Claim Today…

Excerpt: Today is going to be an interesting Sunday morning in two churches, and I would give my May tithe to be in either New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia or Empowerment Temple Church in Baltimore, Maryland! Just kidding about my tithe! But seriously. According to Bishop Eddie L. Long’s Facebook page, he will be selling limited copies of his book “The Untold Story – The Story of Adversity, Pain, and Resilience” exclusively after the church’s two services! Can someone get out there to get me a copy? I couldn’t even find this book on Amazon! Is Bishop Long going to address what really happened with those young men who accused him of sexual misconduct as their claims were settled out of court and why he settled? That’s all people want to know at this point!

2. Why Wait? Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Marries on Valentine’s Day After NYE Proposal (VIDEO)!

Excerpt: Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Atlanta’s Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, the “spiritual home of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” already created headlines when he proposed to Miss Ouleye Ndoye at the end of Watch Night Service at the church last month! Well, Rev. Dr. Warnock capitalized on another romantic occasion, marrying the former Miss Ndoye during a Valentine Day’s wedding ceremony at the church last Sunday!

So I watched the video of the ceremony which came in at about 1 hour and 37 minutes. The wedding colors seem to be shades of lavender, purple and white as all of the flowers and decorations were in those colors. The wedding started off with a solo of Sweet Sweet Spirit which set the tone of the wedding. Also, there was a beautiful flute solo and a heartfelt solo rendition of Steve Wonder’s Ribbon in the Sky. The music lasts for nearly 40 minutes as the mothers walk in together about the 38:09 mark of the video. I counted 10 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen along with a ring bearer and two flower girls.

3. Greenleaf Season Finale Recap, Season 1 Episode 13: What Are You Doing Here?

Excerpt: At long last, Women’s Day has finally arrived! Lady Mae preaches on Proverbs 31:30. Lady Mae tells the women who are decked out in their Sunday best hats and flowery and flouncy dresses that while charm and beauty are weapons, fearing the Lord is the greatest strength a woman possesses. I want to know what First Ladies Lynn Whitfield, who plays Lady Mae, consulted because her First Lady mannerisms are flawless. She imparts Scripture like she is truly the helpmate of a man who has made his living in the Gospel. She explains that the Hebrew word for fear doesn’t mean “cowering” but rather it means awe! While rubbing her belly, she explains that Mary the mother of Jesus was filled with awe about how God’s plan to save the world came through a woman. Then she acknowledged that Calvary was at a crossroads and said that the only way forward for the church is in the footsteps of a virtuous woman!

4. Greenleaf Recap Season 1 Episode 6: Good Morning, Calvary

Excerpt: At church on Sunday, Lady Mae, who is happy to see Jacob and his wife smiling and happy together, tells him that Grace will not be able to get the upper hand although she is preaching. She says, “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God and believe in me.” So that is a Bible verse: John 14:1 and refers to Jesus, but it seems that Lady Mae was referring to herself…So obviously, she has got a scheme planned. Her husband may be the head, but she is the neck which is how she was able to get Deaconess Connie Sykes back on as the head of the deacon board in this episode after the new head of the deacon board would not approve of the purchase of a new plane that the Bishop plans to buy…

5. Greenleaf Recap Season 1 Episode 7: One Train May Hide Another…

Excerpt: After a long day at Calvary and the “Memphis Man of the Year” event, Mac returns home to see the young girl in the lobby. Apparently, she does not feel comfortable going to her place. This really grown man invites the young, forlorn, girl up to his place. Mac fixes himself some whiskey and gives the girl a non-alcoholic beverage initially. Mac tells her that he was once a disillusioned young person himself and even tried to commit suicide at 12 years old after his mother died on some train tracks. She was crossing the tracks in front of a train that was stopped, but she didn’t see the other train coming. Obviously, the title of this episode has to do with that incident.

6. Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Proposes to Girlfriend During Watch Night Service! (VIDEO)

Excerpt: Then he walks over to her at which some woman in the congregation says, “Uh oh, Pastor?” And then many members of the congregation armed with cell phones vacate the pews, furiously corralling themselves around the pastor and his special guest like he is a football player about to score a touchdown! (I saw “Concussion” last night so football motifs are on the brain. A must-see movie by the way!) He responds with, “Why y’all carrying on like this?” in the midst of the commotion. And the same woman it seems yells, “Go head pastor! Work it pastor!” “Can I talk?” says the Ebenezer Baptist Church pastor finally before beginning his proposal.

7. Greenleaf Recap Season 1 Episode 8: The Whole Book…

Excerpt: Grace does the walk of shame the next day back up to the Greenleaf mansion as Noah lives on the property and hope that no one notices. Unfortunately, her archenemy Lady Mae is up and confronts her with the words, “You look like you’ve been rolled hard and put away wet.” And that’s a GREAT line OWN! I will have to remember that line…She also says, “You won’t be satisfied until you’ve burned this place to the ground.”

8. Pastor Le’Andria Johnson Isn’t the Only Reason I’m Watching ‘Preachers of Atlanta’ Tonight, But She is the No. 1 Reason…My Interview With Her & More

Excerpt: When I wrote the blog post “Was It Wrong for ‘Sunday Best’ Winner Le’Andria Johnson to be Drunk Allegedly on Periscope?” back in September, I had no idea she was a pastor of a church or that she would featured on the Preachers of Atlanta which premieres TONIGHT! I thought the name of her church I.P.C. (Imperfect People Changing) Ministries was simply the name of her ministry organization. Now that I know she is a pastor, I still think her being allegedly drunk on Periscope was bad judgment as I noted in my original post and now that I know she is a pastor, I feel even more strongly about this because James 3:1 is true. That being said, I appreciate her “keeping it real” attitude, but as we all know, keeping it real can go wrong real fast…

9. Original Dreamgirl Sheryl Lee Ralph Featured at Delta Sigma Theta International Film Festival in Atlanta This Saturday!

Me and Sheryl Lee Ralph, my soror and fellow Jamerican, at For Sisters Only in 2011.

Excerpt: Ralph, who currently has a reoccurring role CBS’ hit drama “Criminal Minds,” has found new success with her production company, Island Girl Productions, writing, directing and producing her award-winning film short “Secrets“, which will be showcased at Delta Sigma Theta International Film Festival. “The Delta Sigma Theta International Film Festival was created to support Delta’s global initiatives and to promote cross-cultural awareness within the Atlanta community. Another very special component of the event is to give filmmakers interested in cross-cultural stories a forum to exhibit their best work. The evening promises to be enlightening, engaging, and enjoyable,” stated Andrea L. Morgan, chair of the chapter’s International Awareness and Involvement Committee.

10. Atlanta Multimillionaire Business Woman Mary Parker to Award Scholarships to Inner-City Youth on Saturday!

Excerpt: Parker, author of The Chick in Charge, is extremely transparent about her humble beginnings. “My parents were sharecroppers,” she recalls. “We lived in a shack in rural Mississippi. It’s those small beginnings that help me appreciate everything I have now.” The pioneer runs a multi-million-dollar security firm with multiple offices in the United States and Africa. Parker, and her team of nearly 300 employees, have secured major events such as the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Game, PGA Tours, Trumpet Awards and the commencement speech given by President Barack Obama at Morehouse College.

See you in 2017!

Any thoughts?