Dreaming in Atlanta

We travelled today into the state of Georgia and to its capital city of Atlanta.

Atlanta is the transport hub of the south eastern United States and it is the birthplace of Martin Luther King Junior and Coca Cola (The world HQ of the Coke corporation is in the city where the drink was first invented).

First up we visited Ebenezeer Baptist Church where MLK junior's father ('Daddy King) was the pastor. Here the young Martin was baptised at the age of 5, and here he preached for the first time at the age of 17, before his ordination at the age of 19.

In the basement of the church which is now a national heritage site, a young man (right) introduced us  to the history of the building, and then gave a brilliant word for word rendition of Martin Luther King Junior's 'I have a dream speech', first given in front of the Lincolm memorial in Washington DC.

We then went upstairs to see the worship area (or 'sanctuary' as Americans call it) where the King family worshipped and where Martin's father preached. and where, tragically MLKJ's mother was shot dead by a deranged individual some years after her son's assassination:

Just up the road from Ebenezeer Baptist church is the home where MLKJ was born and where he lived as a boy:

And nearby is his tomb and that of his wife;

And also in the immediate vicinity ia  the MLKJ National Historic Site Visitor's Center (right) - a brilliant display which I will say more about tomorrow when we are due to visit again to view the exhibitions in the visitor center in more detail, but for today one particular incident stuck in my mind.

In the visitor's center there was an exhibit that consisted of life size models of marchers, marching for racial equality - men, women, boys, girls, black and white.

Many visitors  posed for photographs of themselves with the marchers. One family caught my eye. There were two boys, about 14, two younger kids, mum and dad. All black. The mum wanted one of the 14 year old boys to pose with one of the model marchers, a boy of about the same age as himself. He stood there in a slightly embarassed but I'll do this to please mum manner and smiled for the photo.

But Mum wasn't quite happy with the shot. She wanted her son to hold the hand of the model white boy , which he duly and shyly did ( just for a moment) while mum took her picture.

Immediately I caught on to what she was doing. Earlier we had heard MLKJ's 'I have a dream speech' which included these words:

'one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers'

That's why she wanted her black boy to hold the hand of the white boy.

She had a dream and she wanted her son to be part of it. Wonderful.

Please God, may he even experience the reality of it. .