I am sitting here on my off day and I have the opportunity to watch the funeral of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. It is as I am watching this that it reminds me of the Atlanta I know. The Atlanta I grew up in, the Atlanta I have became a man in. There are a great percentage of people that live here that were not born here. There is nothing wrong with that. There are a great number of people that come to visit Atlanta. They recognize Atlanta as Hotlanta. And that is fine as well.
However, the Atlanta I know is deeply rooted in the success of African Americans. The funeral of Mrs. King reminds me of why Atlanta really became the city it has become. It is not about the clubs, it is not about the beautiful (physically beautiful) people or the good weather.
Atlanta is the city it is because of the movements that grew out of this city. The civil rights movement was nurtured here. Places like Auburn Ave., were blue prints for successful vibrant black neighborhoods in a time where blacks were struggling mightily in this country.
The Atlanta I know has the Atlanta University Center that houses some of the greatest black schools of Secondary education anywhere. An educational center that birthed the likes of Dr. King.
There are great cities all over this country, but the Atlanta I know is drenched in a rich history that is hard to duplicate anywhere. So, those of you that have moved here or visiting understand that the Atlanta I know is not about club 112 or Visions or all the fine people you may see.
The Atlanta I know is a foundation for entrepreneurs, churches and civil rights. I just write this so that those of you that know of Hotlanta take the time to find out more about the Atlanta I Know. It’s so much more to this city than what it is known about now.
Mrs. King thanks for being apart of the Atlanta I know. God Bless you and your family.
my brother recently moved to san diego. prior to that, he was living in new york after having lived most of his life in atlanta. he left atlanta because he said atlanta just wasn’t the place for him, bringing up all the bad stuff about the city and not remembering any of the really great things about it.
so now he’s in san diego calling me talking about “i never knew how unique atlanta was for black folk. ain’t NO black folk out here! no black culture, NOTHING!”
folk always gotta leave before they recognize what an empowering city atlanta is for black folk. the history, the current residents, all of the resources…it’s really da bomb city. i got nothing but love for it.
Comment by nikki — February 8, 2006 @ 8:12 pm
I am so feeling you on this, I was contemplating moving back north because I was tired of Atlanta. However, after watching the funeral and listening to it, I realized that there a lot more for me to explore and areas that I haven’t really tapped into.
Comment by carmelcomplexion — February 8, 2006 @ 9:27 pm
I too was debating moving back up north. The funeral was a sobering, humbling experience and I realized…”It’s not about me. It’s about God’s will for me.” Thank you Mrs. King for fighting the good fight. Thank you for not giving up when some both before and after you have tossed in many of towels. While we are not where Martin wanted us to be, we are no where NEAR where we were before the struggle was continued so bravely by Coretta.
Comment by MzNewAgenda — February 9, 2006 @ 12:28 am