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THE VOICE OF BLACK WOMANHOOD Vol. XXXII No. IV Atlanta, Georgia February, 1979 MLK Week Keeps The Dream Alive Marchers from A.U. Center participate to help keep the dream alive. Pho, ° by Novice Johnson Do You Know Your Black History? by Malrey Head This year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration was one of the most outstanding compared to past years. King, who would have been 50 on Jan. 15, was praised and honored for six days, from Jan. I I- 16, by local, national and interna tional figures. They all spoke of what a great man King was and helping to keep his dream alive. The dream being that blacks would one day obtain complete racial equality. King, the greatest of the civil rights leaders, had helped to open many doors for blacks and the poor. In April of 1968, before his assassination. King was aiding striking garbage workers in their struggle. One of the major events of the six day celebration was President Jimmy Carter receiving the Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violence Peace prize. Sen. Julian Bond, who marched outside the church, com pared the award to the Nobel Peace Prize given to Isreali Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. “It is given in hope of what he might do,” he said. Another important happening was the presentation of the Martin Luther King Black Heritage stamp. The presentation was made on Jan. 13 to Ms. Coretta King by the U.S. Postmaster. The stamp is the second in the series. The appearance of Carter in the city brought out marchers to voice their grievances with Carter. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which King helped to form, lead a march from Central City Park to Ebenezer Church. SCLC had the support of many other organizations and marchers including Dick Gregory, Dr. Ralph Abernathy, Hosea Wil liams, the Rev. Joseph Lowery and students from the Atlanta Univer sity Center and Atlanta Junior College. The group of about 200 people marched to inform Carter that he had not kept his promise to blacks and the poor in regards to jobs, Abernathy stated, “We are here on behalf of poor America and we don’t like it.” “We are fulfillers of the dream of Martin Luther King and we do like that,” he said. continued on page 4 By Shelia Poole Crispus Attucks, Harriet Tub- man, George Washington Carver, and Sojourner Truth. Do these names sound familiar? Probably so, because every since one can remember these names have been drilled in our minds for each cele bration of Black History Week. The month of February has been proclaimed Black History Month which should give the community not only a chance to learn about Crispus Attucks, Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver and Sojourner Truth, but also other lesser known, but still great figures in black history. Throughout the ages, from country to country blacks have made several contributions to humanity and the black race. For instance there was Hannibal, the Carthaginian general whose army occupied Italy for 15 years proving to Europe the superior military strength of the Carthaginians. St. Augustine of Hippo is another out standing black man. He was the bishop of Hippo, a city in North Africa, and became known for his great theological writings, “Con- 1 fessions” and “City of God.” Blacks played a role in the dis covery of America that predates the Pilgrims; evidence suggests that a black man (named Pedro Alonso Nino) sailed with Chris topher Columbus in his search for a new route to the Indies. Once in America blacks con tinued to make contributions to American independence. Prince Estabrook, a black slave, fought with the patriots at Lexington and was one of the 49 killed. Other outstanding black figures in history include: Sadie T. M. Alexander—the first black woman to get a Ph. D. in the U.S. and also the first woman to earn a law degree from the Uni versity of Pennsylvania. In 1927 she became the first black woman to be admitted to the bar in the state of Pennsylvania. James P. Beckworth—scout for the U.S. government and fur trader. Beckworth discovered a pass through the Sierra-Nevada Mountains. David Walker—‘founded the Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World in 1829. Walker became one of the most outspoken pamp hleteers on slavery. He urged all slaves to fight for their freedom. Many southerners claimed Walker’s Appeal influenced the rebellions of Gaberial Prosser and Denmark Vessey. The circulation of the pamphlet was made a capital offense in the south. Garrett Morgan—in 1923 Mor gan invented the automatic traffic light. General Electric bought the patent rights for $40,000. Oscar De Priest—An 1928 DePri- est was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington. He became the first black to repres ent a northern district. Charlotte A. Bass—Ms. Bass became the first black woman to run for the office of Vice- President. In 1952 she was unanim ously selected at the Progressive continued on page 3