Atlanta: MLK

This morning we went down to the center of Atlanta, to the MLK National Historic Site. We visited MLK's childhood home and the original Ebenezer Church, where both Jr and Sr held ministeries and also took a stroll inside the visitor centre.

King's political struggle is interesting, and his legacy (to the extent that this vast change can be attributed to any one man) of racial equality is undoubtedly a good thing. America in the 1950s and 60s was a country where racial prejudice existed to a degree that's hard to comprehend for most young Americans today. To the extent that King improved upon this, he did good.

On the other hand, I've never much liked or understood the American tendency to make monsters and angels out of historic people. They too easily become cardboard figures, not flesh and blood humans. King was no angel - he was a womanizer and plagiarized parts of his doctoral thesis and other works. Towards the end of his brief life his significance in American society was decidedly waning. On the other hand he preached heavily for more education among blacks and individual responsibility as key to success in life.

I found it most interesting to look at the childhood home and hear anecdotes of his daily life there. It painted a portrait of a normal kid, in a socially divided, yet very vibrant neighborhood. Atlanta at that time held the highest number of educated blacks in the nation, and many of them were economically well off. Schooling was deemed essential to anyone wanting to make it in the world.

Contrast that with today's predominantly destructive black culture, where it's all about "bitches and ho's" and dope and money and guns. It is largely homophobic and misogynic and to some degree racist against anyone not black and male. I think it's safe to say MLK would not have approved.

All MLK pics here.

The King family owned a surprisingly large house. The Ebenezer church was one of the richest and most powerful ministries in black America at the time.


Up the street were the richer neighborhoods, with nice Victorian houses.


Down the street were the poorer areas, with Shotgun houses. Today these are all apartments for rent, owned by the Historic Site. Apparently you can get one for just $500, which is cheap to my mind.


The grave.


The mural outside the visitor center.