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DEL.ICIO.USIn the presence of living history
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bernice Bailey has come across some impressive people while volunteering at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.
But one person impressed her the most: Coretta Scott King — the King family matriarch. She was a portrait of dignity. Day in. Day out. It didn’t matter who you were or what you did for a living.
“Mrs. King was always very pleasant whenever I spoke with her,” said Bailey, who has volunteered at the Atlanta nonprofit for nine years. “I’ve been in her presence many times. She had a warm, graceful spirit about her.”
The late widow would host thank-you dinners for the volunteers after they helped run grand events like the “Salute to Greatness” dinner. Sometimes the soirees took place at the King Center. Other times, it was Paschal’s Restaurant.
During the dinners, Mrs. King would graciously pose for photos with volunteers. Her demeanor was so approachable and unassuming that Bailey, as well as others, brought family and friends. They wanted people to see for themselves that the persona was genuine. Mrs. King would pose with them, too.
“She wasn’t pious or anything,” said Bailey, a flight attendant who lives in Lawrenceville. “Real down to earth. I have had lots of conversations with her, but one thing she said that stuck with me was this: ‘If the heart is right, the mind and body will follow.’ “
Another Black History Month has come and gone. Bailey’s story would have been a perfect one to run during those 28 days of observance. I chose not to tell it then. I didn’t want to marginalize Bailey’s thoughts on Mrs. King, and to me, telling them within the confines of a designated month cheapens them.
Her story deserves better. Just like black heritage deserves something besides, or in addition to, a month of history. It needs to be treated as a truly integral part of the school curriculum.
Most of Bailey’s volunteer hours were spent in the office of the King Center’s events director. She answered the phone, made copies — whatever needed to be done.
“I remember ordering Mrs. King’s corsages for her once,” Bailey said. “I can’t recall the name of the florist, but I remember she wore white ones that particular year.”
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent approach to civil rights appealed to Bailey’s father, Willie Frank. He spent time with the civil rights icon at the Atlanta YMCA. When King was assassinated, the Bailey family stood in line to view his body at Morehouse College.
Five years ago, Bernice Bailey’s father died. Mrs. King provided comfort.
“She was so sincere,” Bailey said. “I was able to relate to her as if she were my own parent.”
Bailey considers herself fortunate.
“When you do volunteer work, you don’t often think about the things you might get out of it,” she said. “It was very rewarding to actually see and be in the presence of Mrs. King. It was history.”
And Bailey was a part of it.
Comments
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By Damion
March 4, 2006 08:38 PM | Link to this
Great
By Michael H. Smith
March 4, 2006 10:26 PM | Link to this
Can any part of Our American History be truly complete if segmented, segregated or marginalized as you have said Mr. Badie; without every color and kindred accurately presented and fully accounted for in the official record? So much of what has been taught as the History of this nation, was and regrettably remains a conspicuously one sided incomplete story. When science and historical facts are denied, all that remains is the poor fragmented substitute of human friction.