In honor of Black History Month and MLK, Jr. Day last month, I'm going to talk about my venture to Sweet Auburn, the birthplace of Mr. King himself. Sweet Auburn was once an affluent neighborhood, where middle and upper class African Americans lived and thrived, but now it is quite the opposite, being considered one of America's 11 most endangered historic places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Many of its historic landmarks still stand and it is indeed a beautiful district of Atlanta rich with history, but I'll admit, it is not a very safe neighborhood, especially for a couple camera-happy Asian girls. Let's just say that when someone is insistent on taking a picture for you in front of the Center for Civil and Human Rights, do not be surprised when that smiling face suddenly disappears and turns into a threatening grimace asking for money.
My trip to Atlanta with
Heren was educational in more ways than one. It is where I learned that people can be made of butter, salt, and sugar, Coca Cola is awesome, Southern hospitality is like nothing I've ever experienced, and any condiment you can think of can come in a convenient squeeze bottle.
But one thing is for certain, Sweet Auburn was one of the more memorable parts of our trip. It was haunting, in a good way.
Walking into Sweet Auburn was a little eerie. The streets were mostly empty save for the few cars and buses driving around. Remnants of the once-prosperous neighborhood remained but all its inhabitants had moved elsewhere.
A construction worker walked past us at this point, nodding, "Ladies." In LA, it is more common for construction workers to stare at you until you were uncomfortable and occasionally say inappropriate things. I felt I could totally get used to the well-mannered gentlemen of the South.
We tried to find something to eat but all the restaurants in the area seemed to have picked up and left. We had to turn around and go back towards where we came from to eat at Kenley's on the Georgia State University campus. This is where I learned that "vegetables" actually means sides, because last time I checked, mac 'n' cheese is not a vegetable.
Restarting our trip to Sweet Auburn, we stumbled upon a tiny bakery, where we got a sweet potato cheesecake. It is indeed as delicious as it sounds. We then headed to the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, a farmer's market of sorts, where one can buy all the Georgia peaches their heart desires.
They also sold Georgia White Dirt, which apparently can be used for many purposes from consuming for stomach ailments to making ceramics...
Upon walking in my eye was immediately caught by this cute shop that sold green/organic goods. They sold all sorts of fun things, but the most interesting thing about this stand was the woman selling the goodies. This is where we met Gigi, a woman displaced by Hurricane Katrina, who has been dying to go back to New Orleans as soon as she can afford to. She had nothing but good things to say about Atlanta but she missed her home. That was the first humbling experience of that day but it wasn't the last.
There are many churches in the area, but only a few stuck out.
The first one was Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, mainly because of the giant "Jesus Saves" on the steeple. Turns out it is a pretty big deal, having been founded in 1847. In 1879, the first public school for African Americans in the city was founded in its basement. It eventually moved to another location. Two years later, Morris Brown College, started by African Americans, held classes in the basement before moving to a campus. It was also known for quite some time as "Sweet Auburn's City Hall."
The second was Ebenezer Baptist Church, MLK, Jr.'s home church. Several of his family members preached there over the years and MLK, Jr., preached there from 1960 until his death.
It eventually moved across the street to the new Ebenezer Baptist Church (third pic) and the old church became part of the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site.
Also part of Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site are...
his birth home,
(There are like 16 rooms in this house! Can you believe that?!)
his (and the missus') tomb and the Eternal Flame,
and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.
This is where we spent quite a bit of time, watching video clips, reading stories, absorbing history. Having been a prodigy, MLK, Jr., did so much in such a short amount of time, including being the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending racial segregation. All the while he never stopped practicing non-violence even though his life as well as the lives of those associated with him were constantly in danger.
The center also had a special section depicting how involved Jewish people were in the Civil Rights Movement, as well as many foreign people, which was never really publicized.
I was affected not only because of
what he fought for but also
how he did so. He was the ideal activist, never straying his principles. His response to violence and threats was non-violence, which is unlike many activists these days who seem to think fighting fire with more fire will solve problems.
Happy Black History Month. Thanks to everyone who stood up for what was right and forged the path for other minorities to fight discrimination and not accept it as the norm.
