MLK Eternal Flame
It’s impossible to be in Atlanta and not feel the ghosts of the Civil Rights Movement. Atlanta is the home of the Movement and many key events were planned or held here.
Picture this, 1895, We are going way back! To Atlanta's most beloved green space…
The Piedmont Park got its start with the “Cotton States International Exposition of 1895.” The land, purchased from the Gentlemen's (now piedmont ) Diving Club, was first used for a local event. “The Piedmont Exposition” in 1887 prepared the way for what became a World's Fair of its day. We will see where Booker T. Washington made his famous “Five Fingers” address, arguing that blacks and whites should remain socially separated as the fingers on a hand. .
Lunch and beverages will be served at the historic Paschal’s Restaurant in downtown Atlanta. Paschal's has a rich history dating back to 1947 when the Paschal brothers, James and Robert Paschal opened their first location. The brothers decided 'Fried Chicken' would be the specialty of the house, and with that mandate, Robert created his 'secret recipe'. It became the "meeting place" for some of the most famous including; Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Andrew Young, Vice President Al Gore, and Dr. Martin Luther King. Southern soul food at its best!
Next stop, The King Center (The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change) is a must destination for learning, get inspired and pay respects to King’s legacy. View the artifacts and memorabilia of the movement and spend a moment by King’s crypt. We will drive by the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King delivered his first sermon in 1947 and served as an associate minister and later co-pastor with his father.
Down the street is MLK's childhood home.
On the way back to the hotel and completing our tour we will drive by the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum. Here is where Margaret Mitchel wrote her Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, Gone With the Wind. The home is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Cost of the event is $105/person and includes transportation, lunch and beverages.
Piedmont Park