Just as Martin Luther King Jr. loomed over his No. 2, Ralph David Abernathy, during the heady Civil Rights era, Ebenezer Baptist Church overshadowed West Hunter Street Baptist Church.
But the latter church – it’s old shell, anyway -- may be about to get its day in the sun.
The bipartisan team of U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson, D-Decatur, and Austin Scott, R-Tifton, with some help from Georgia colleagues Sanford Bishop and John Barrow, have shepherded through the House a bill that could place the old West Hunter Street Baptist building under the protection of the national park system.
The West Hunter Street Baptist Church Study Act – H.R. 4119 – authorizes the U.S. Department of Interior to make the decision.
The church’s history is nearly as storied as Ebenezer’s. At King’s urging, Abernathy followed his leader – who became pastor of Ebenezer -- to Atlanta, becoming pastor of West Hunter Street Church in 1961.
From the press release:
"The history of the Civil Rights Movement is a lesson in democratic ideals," said Johnson. "It is a testimony to the strength of our Constitution, and to the courage of the American people. We deeply believe that it is our duty to preserve these landmarks and to share their significance with future generations."
West Hunter Street was renamed Martin Luther King Drive after King's death in 1968. Abernathy's church moved to 1040 Gordon Street in 1973, but kept the name – and still thrives.
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