Ebenezer Church Sermon Focuses on Obama, MLK (Photo Essay)

Ebenezer Baptist Church Sr. Pastor, Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, making a point to the audience on Sunday, January 18, on the eve of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Day, and Tuesday's inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. Click on the photo for a full-sized image. (Photo: Dave Bender)


Worshipers link arms, singing "We Shall Overcome," at Ebenezer Baptist Church in downtown Atlanta, on Sunday, January 18, on the eve of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Day, and Tuesday's inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. Click on the photo for a full-sized image. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Several thousand worshippers filled the historic Ebenezer Church in downtown Atlanta.

Adults at prayer, children and infants attended Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church on Sunday, Jan., 18, 2009, on the eve of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Day, and Tuesday's inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. Click on the photo for a full-sized image. (Photo: Dave Bender)

They came to hear an impassioned sermon on the eve of Martin Luther King Day, and Tuesday’s inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

A television news cameraman watches Rev. Warnock through his viewscreen at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., on Sunday, January 18, 2009. Click on the photo for a full-sized image. (Photo: Dave Bender)


Earnest Adams of Atlanta, in rapt prayer during services at Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. Click on the photo for a full-sized image. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Senior Pastor Raphael Warnock, told some 2,000 churchgoers that many historic figures made Obama’s election possible.

Ebenezer Baptist Church Sr. Pastor, Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, exhorting the audience on Sunday, January 18, on the eve of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Day, and Tuesday's inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. Click on the photo for a full-sized image. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Warnock's examples ranged from the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt to the Land of Israel, African-America slaves, slain civil rights workers and King himself:

”…HE SITS ON THE KNEES AND STANDS ON THE SHOULDERS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., WHO SAID, ‘I MAY NOT GET THERE WITH YOU, BUT WE AS A PEOPLE WILL GET TO THE PROMISED LAND,’ SO KEEP ON MOVING – FREEDOM LOOMS!”

Warnock said the Obama inauguration was but another step on the road to freedom, and urged the audience to have faith in the face of domestic and international adversity.

A woman in rapt prayer during services at Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. Click on the photo for a full-sized image. (Photo: Dave Bender)

King would have been 80-years-old today.


Pastors and choir at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Sunday, January 18, on the eve of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Day, and Tuesday's inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. Click on the photo for a full-sized image. (Photo: Dave Bender)

GPB Radio News will air a segment of Pastor Warnock's sermon on Monday.

CSU commemorates King legacy

Richardson emphasizing a point in his address to faculty and students at CSU, on the anniversary of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Columbus State University celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s today, at a ceremony held on the anniversary of his birth.

Benjamin Richardson, Muscogee County's Solicitor-General and guest speaker, says much of King's legacy has been accomplished:

“I think a lot of Dr. King's legacy has been fulfilled, in terms of opportunities that weren't there before. For instance, my position: I am the first African-American Solicitor-General in Muscogee County. I know without Dr. King and others, that wouldn't have been possible.”

Students and faculty, seen here, repeatedly applauded during Richardson's address. (Photo: Dave Bender)

But Richardson, speaking to a roomful of over 100 students and faculty, says they risk squandering the civil-rights leader's legacy out of apathy and indifference:

“However, those rights and opportunities were not given without much struggle. Dr. King and others fought – and sometimes died – in the civil-rights movement to provide us so many opportunities for us today. But it seems we take those hard-fought rights and opportunities for granted. Unfortunately, we allow those same rights and opportunities to go by the wayside...”

Richardson especially called on the students not to waste their right to vote in coming the elections, and to stay in school.

Click here for more GPB News reports about Dr. King and his family.

Commission Calls for MLK Statue's Redesign

Lei Yixin shows off a model of a Martin Luther King Jr. statue at his studio in Hunan province, China, last year. (AFP/Getty Images)

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial is going to be big. The site for it is a four-acre plot on the Tidal Basin, not far from the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Water, stone and trees are the primary elements in a design inspired by a line in the Rev. King's "I Have A Dream" speech:

"With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope."

In the original design for the MLK memorial, a bust of King emerges almost organically out of the side of the Stone of Hope. To get to the stone, a visitor would walk through two rocks symbolizing the Mountain of Despair. That design won the competition set up by the U.S. Fine Arts Commission, the federal agency that approves anything that gets built on the National Mall.

But in the new model for the statue, King is much bigger. His arms are crossed defiantly and he has a solemn look on his face.

In a letter calling for revisions to the statue, Thomas Luebke, who heads the commission, said King's character had gone from "meditative" to "confrontational."

"It looks more like the Stone of Hope is just background. There's now a more full body sculpture of Dr. King. It's a much more rigid, symmetrical stance," Luebke said.

The architects of the memorial are considering what modifications they'll make to meet the commission's request. But Harry Johnson, president of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation, likes the idea of King standing tall.

He says he agrees King's facial expression needs softening, but he wants the statue to be an expression of strength.

"The bottom line is, do you want an African-American man not standing tall?" Johnson says. "The Dr. King we want to see is a warrior of peace, not a warrior of wars."

The new design for the statue was carved by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin. And any controversy about his work is fodder for the people who opposed the decision to hire him in the first place. The MLK National Memorial Foundation was criticized for not hiring an American artist. Lei has carved many Chinese officials over the years, including Communist leader Mao Zedong.

Click here for more GPB News coverage about Martin Luther King.

(National Public Radio)

King children's infighting now in court

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s children are in a legal squabble. Bernice King and Martin Luther King III filed a lawsuit Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court against their brother Dexter King. The lawsuit says that Dexter King - the administrator of his father's estate - refused to provide information and documents concerning the operations. It also claims that Martin Luther King Jr.'s estate's assets "are being misapplied or wasted."

Protesters Shout at Warren During Ebenezer Sermon

Two women protesters shouted at Rev. Rick Warren shortly after he began his keynote sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in downtown Atlanta Monday.

One of the women, seen here pointing in the air, waved a yellow scarf, as she shouted, "Rick Warren is a bigot, Rick Warren is a bigot," at Ebenezer Baptist Church during the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday, Jan. 19, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Security officials tore the scarf from the woman's hand during the altercation, which took place shortly before 1:00 PM and quickly hustled both out of the sanctuary.

A few moments later, two male protesters stood up and turned their backs to Warren, and were also escorted out of the building.

The identity of the protesters was unclear, although several dozen demonstrators with signs held a protest outside the church earlier against what they said was Warren's positions on gay rights and abortion.

The group was larger earlier in the morning, but dispersed, according to reports.

Security personnel hurry one of the women out of the sanctuary at Ebenezer Baptist Church during the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday, Jan. 19, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Police and Sheriff Department details, and FBI and Homeland Security personnel showed a heavy presence in the vicinity of the church, and closed off streets surrounding the building.

Dozens of dignitaries attended the service, including Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, who gave a brief address.

Movie About Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

DreamWorks Studios has plans to make a movie about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to be co-produced by Steven Spielberg. The studio announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the civil rights leader's life rights from The King Estate. Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones are also mentioned as producers of the project in the release. The studio says the film would be the first theatrical motion picture authorized by the estate using King's intellectual property as the basis for the story.

(Associated Press)

Exhibit Opening at the King National Historic Site

The dream of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has been interpreted by 70 artists in an exhibit opening at the King National Historic Site. The "I Have A Dream: International Exhibition to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." opens today at the site, which includes King's birth home and tomb. The various tributes to the civil rights icon include depictions of struggle and activism, as well as works that address gender and race.
The exhibit was organized by city of Sitges, Spain and features artists from every continent. It arrives in King's birthplace after stops in New York, Michigan and Tennessee and will continue to Alabama and Illinois before returning to Spain next year.

(AP)

Dr. King Memorial to include rock from Stone Mountain

Granite from Atlanta's Stone Mountain State Park may be used to help build a memorial in the nation's Capitol to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

When Dr. King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" Speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial four decades ago, he said “‘let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.”

Sunday, Congressman John Lewis joined a tour of Stone Mountain’s granite quarries to research the proposal.

In 1915, the Ku Klux Klan was revived on Stone Mountain and an enormous civil war monument on the park’s grounds bears the likenesses of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis.

"We think that there should be a piece of Stone Mountain in the King Memorial. To be a p[art of the memorial. We really want to make that statement that we are helping freedom ring as he envisioned it. If the memorial will tell us what size stone they want, what shape, what finish, how they want it. We will cut it, polish it, and deliver it to the monument," said Curtis Branscome is CEO of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association.

The memorial to the slain civil rights leader will be located on the National Mall near the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials.

The memorial will require $100 million dollars to build, of which $81 million has been raised.

John Lewis on Obama's, Georgia's hopes

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made history on this day in 1963 delivering his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of Lincoln Memorial at the March on Washington. Tonight, another African-American will make history. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will speak at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Georgia Congressman John Lewis will also speak tonight. As a young civil rights leader, Lewis was one of 10 people who also spoke alongside Dr. King on this day 45 years ago. He is the only one of those men alive today. Lewis says it doesn’t bother him that Barack Obama is not a child of the movement he helped foster. In fact, he says, Obama is free of the battle scars left on he and those of his generation.

"He never saw the signs that said 'White Men,' 'Colored Men,' 'White Women,' 'Colored Women,' " Lewis adds. "He never tasted the fruits of segregation and racial discrimination, so he is a different human being. He should be free to liberate the rest of America, and maybe take a message to the rest of the world."

Still, Lewis says he would like to hear from Obama that this is not the end — or even a new beginning — but a continuation of a long struggle. Lewis says that all over his home state of Georgia, young people feel something is happening.

"And you hear people saying, 'I was not there with you to march across the bridge at Selma. I was not at the March on Washington. But I am in this struggle to make Barack Obama president."

Tonight Lewis will pay tribute to Dr. King.

(NPR)

Eldest child of Martin Luther King-Jr dies

The oldest child and daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King-Jr has died. A spokesman for The King Center in Atlanta said Yolanda Denise King passed away last night in Santa Monica-California at 51 years old. The cause of death is not known, but the family believes it might have been from a heart problem.

Yolanda King was born in 1955 in Montgomery-Alabama. She was an author, and followed her father as a speaker and advocate for peace and nonviolence. She held membership in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, co-founded by her father in 1957. During King Day ceremonies honoring her father in January, she spoke strongly of Dr. King's life and legacy.

King was also an actress who appeared in several films, and started a production company.

Yolanda Denise King is survived by her sister, 2 brothers, and extended family. Her death comes more than a year after that of her mother, Coretta Scott King.

Yolanda King's body arrives in Georgia

The body of Yolanda King arrived pre-dawn today in Atlanta from Los Angeles. The eldest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died Tuesday evening in Santa Monica, California--she was 51. A memorial service is planned in Atlanta next Thursday at Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary. Another service will be held as well in Los Angeles. The family says there will be no public viewing, and that Yolanda King's remains will be cremated.

Price hike for King memorial

Organizers are upping the cost estimate for a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They cite the addition of a bookstore and rising construction costs for tacking on $20-million dollars to the project. The group now needs to raise $120 million dollars in all for the memorial slated to go up in Washington, D.C. So far they have raised just under $100-million.

Andrew Young tribute unveiling

A bronze of civil rights icon Andrew Young will be unveiled today in Atlanta.

The project is funded by Young’s friend, businessman Charles Loudermilk who supported Young’s bid for mayor of Atlanta back in the 1980’s.

Young worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The tribute will be at a junction of three downtown streets, symbolizing the intersection of business, race and politics.

Memorial service for Yolanda King

A memorial service for Yolanda King is set for later today in Atlanta. The oldest child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died just over a week ago in California at 51 years old. The service will be at Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizons Sanctuary, across the street from the historic church where her father once preached. Former Atlanta mayor and King lieutenant Andrew Young is expected to be among those speaking at the service.

Ft. Benning SOA protesters sentenced

SOA Watch founder, Reverend Fr. Roy Bourgeois, talks with members and defendants outside of Columbus District Court after the sentencing. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Demonstrators who illegally trespassed on the Fort Benning Army base during a protest were sentenced today in Columbus District Court.

This past November, eleven men and women protested at the School of the Americas Watch. Thousands of protesters annually demonstrate against the training school, now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.


Baghuan after sentencing. (Photo: Dave Bender)

U.S. Magistrate G. Mallon Faircloth gave 33-year-old Ozone Baghuan of Duluth, Minnesota a three-month sentence, but did fine him:

“This is my second offense and I'm very happy with my sentence.”
Interviewer: When are you going to start serving your sentence?
“I asked for self-report, and hopefully in the spring, once the Bureau of Prisons have made a bed for me.”

Faircloth handed down the group members - whose ages ranged from the 20s to the 70s - sentences including upwards of 90-days prison terms, and fines reaching $500 dollars.

SOA Watch Founder Fr. Roy Bourgeois, who was at the hearings, say the accused were proud of their deeds:

“You know, they embrace this. I mean, they're not trying to look for a loophole, they know the implications when the cross the line onto Fort Benning.”

Bourgeois says the protesters are following their conscience:

“True, they're breaking a law of Ft. Benning; a law of the state – but – like the Dr. Martin Luther King said, they're trying to follow a higher law.”

SOA Watch says the facility, located on the base, trains Latin American security forces in torture techniques – an allegation the school vehemently denies.


Rials during a tour of the facility, Nov., 2007. (File photo: Dave Bender)

Lee Rials, spokesman for WHINSEC said the facility's doors and classes were open to any visitor. Commenting on the sentencing, he said:

“Visitors are welcome to come see what we are and what we do before making such a life-changing decision.”

Military personnel at a training session at WHINSEC. (File photo: Dave Bender)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of WHINSEC, and SOA Watch.

Yolanda King memorialized in Atlanta

A memorial service was held in Atlanta today for Yolanda King - the oldest child of Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King Jr.

Yolanda King died earlier this month at the age of 51.

Nearly two-thousand mourners filed past trees bearing yellow ribbons, to remember King at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Ebenezer is the same church where decades earlier Dr. King was a young pastor.

Among those paying tribute to King was legendary actress and civil rights activist, Cecily Tyson, the Reverand Al Sharpton and Atayallah Shabbaz, the daughter of slain civil rights leader, Malcolm X.

King tried to move from under the mantle of responsibility the King family name brought with it. She studied acting at NYU and found success as an actress, although she found it hard to break into roles that did not cast her in the role of the suffering martyr.

The cause of King's death has not yet been determined. Family members say she suffered from heart disease and hypertension. Autopsy results are pending.

Emory buys SCLC archives

Historical records for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference are now housed at Emory University in Atlanta. Documents include sympathy cards when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, drafts of speeches and photographs. The SCLC was co-founded in 1957 by Dr. King and other African American leaders from across the South with the purpose of advancing the cause of racial equality. Emory purchased the material but will not disclose for what price.