Walking Down on Auburn Avenue,
America's Most Famous Avenue of
Black History
America's Most Famous Avenue of
Black History
A street to be born, to serve, and to rest.
By Eduardo Barraza
Atlanta, Georgia – Auburn Avenue in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, is not a
very long street. Despite its short length, however, Auburn Avenue goes
a very long way in terms of historical relevance and social meaning.
The name of it may not be as familiar to many people as the events or
individuals tied to this avenue. Today, however, a segment of Auburn
Avenue is part of one of the most famous and visited National Parks in
the United States. Auburn’s extraordinary significance for America and
the world draws more than half a million visitors every year.
Walking down on Auburn Avenue can be ordinary for the ordinary,
unaware visitor. For a person riding a bus through Auburn –using “Route
3 - Auburn Ave.” of the MARTA system (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit
Authority,) departing from the Five Points Station- the historical
landmarks can be easily missed, if not paying attention. Failing to look to
both sides of this avenue is a sure way to miss the history, and that is
because at first sight, Auburn is not a spectacular avenue.
Conversely, for those who walk on Auburn conscious and history-
sensitive, on an on-foot journey by this remarkable avenue can definitely
be a thrill. Knowledge about events, people, and buildings add
excitement to the walk; walking adds yet another testimony to the
exceptional blending of past greatness and contemporary admiration.
Even with such an amount of noteworthy history, walking by a section of
Auburn Avenue –between Courtland Street and the Interstate 75/85
underpass– can be more of a daring or unsafe venture, depending on
how you want to see it. The former successful “Sweet Auburn”
neighborhood, as the area surrounding this avenue is known, has
deteriorated into a zone of crime and neglect –drug dealing, prostitution
and muggings– where homeless people wander during the day, and
hookers and drug dealers hang out at night.
Many years ago, Auburn was a thriving business corridor of African-
American pride. Fortune Magazine once called it "the richest Negro street
in the world." Today, many years later, in the midst of current ambitious
redevelopment plans, Auburn’s decay is evident. Walk by this section of
Auburn at your own risk.
Located at the northeast corner of Piedmont Avenue and Auburn, the
John Calhoun Park –named after a former president of the NAACP
Atlanta chapter– houses a group of destitute men whose rough
interaction calls attention and attracts police. A man, crouched by the
entrance of an old, abandoned building, pretends to be friendly. His
friendliness degenerates later into a barrage of insults to the passerby,
who just ahead finds relief by looking at a discolored but impressive
mural on a store’s side wall.
Passing Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, Bell and Pratt Streets, one finally reaches a
dividing point -literally and symbolically- , when the huge shadow
created by the underpass of Interstate 75/85 –the Downtown
Connector, elevated through Atlanta’s central business district–
welcomes you to full blown history.
The underpass is a dark preamble to the bright chapters of history you
are about to witness. The stench dominating the area of the underpass
is a sure indicator that the homeless people inhabiting under this
atmosphere of “privacy” use it as public restrooms. Out of the shadow, a
homeless man receives visitors on the sidewalk on the other side of the
underpass; he says he knows exactly “where you’re heading.” With his
best smile, he almost convinces you he’s a tourist guide.
Entering the heart of today’s “Sweet Auburn,” the beating of living
history is finally heard at the intersection of Jackson Street. There, at the
southeast corner of Auburn, a red-brick, three-story building welcomes
you, almost unbelievable, to the past: the Ebenezer Baptist Church, a
stoic 82-year old structure, a true symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.
At this very spot, the echo of the grave voice of the most prominent
leader of the movement’s era, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., is
still audible. There’s nothing virtual or imaginative about this resonance:
the thunder-like sound of his famous voice comes from the speakers
inside the church –now a museum-like building, where recordings of
famous King’s sermons are continuously heard. The effect is chilling; the
experience is almost real.
Ebenezer witnessed two generations of Kings preaching from its pulpit.
Here, young Martin was baptized, became an assistant pastor; the silent
pews testified his funeral, and the violent death of his mother Alberta.
Most recently, Ebenezer hosted, in February of 2006, Coretta Scott
King's funeral.
Ushering through a self-guided tour of Ebenezer, the visitor can easily
be transported into the past. Coming out of it, and walking eastbound
on Auburn, the present comes back, but then, almost unexpectedly,
there is, surrounded by a reflecting pool, a white marble crypt: King’s
tomb. Located on the grounds of the King Center, King’s burial place is
situated right in the middle of Jackson Street and Boulevard. The
imposing crypt is flanked by Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King
Center, half a block away from the house where he was born is situated.
At this site, Auburn Avenue reveals its unique destiny in African-American
history. On this same avenue, within just approximately one thousand
feet, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born and raised, worked as an assistant
pastor, and was buried. This is truly an amazing and exceptionally
meaningful fact binding a remarkable man and an incredible avenue.
This area was designated a National Historic Landmark district on May 5,
1977, and a national historic site on October 10, 1980. The buildings
included in this area make up 35 acres. A large visitor center was built to
house a museum chronicling the Civil Rights Movement, as well as King’s
involvement in it.
In front of Ebenezer Baptist Church, at the northeast corner of Jackson
Street, a new and bigger building houses the Ebenezer Baptist Church
Horizon Sanctuary, opened on March 7, 1999. The building’s auditorium
seats 2000 people. Old and new buildings blend in a full circle of historic
magnitude and contemporary importance of a time and struggle for
freedom.
Crossing a road simply called Boulevard, the visitor heads to the final
destination on Auburn: the Martin Luther King, Jr. birth house, a two-
story Queen Anne style house at 501 Auburn Avenue. A tour, conducted
by a National Park Service’s ranger, leads you into the fully restored
historic house, arranged to be fully furnished to its original appearance
when King lived in it. It was in the middle room on the second floor,
where the man that would change the course of history was born on
January 15, 1929. Thirty-nine years later, King would be buried a few
feet away. Auburn thus became a unique stretch in Atlanta and the
world, welcoming a boy into history, and giving a martyred man his final
resting place.
Auburn Avenue may or may not see an economic boom again; its place in
history, however, is more than earned. Walking down its unassuming
sidewalks, shared by tourists from around the world, homeless, drug
dealers and hustlers, Auburn embraces you from both sides in a breath-
taking historic experience.
Walking down on Auburn, ultimately, makes certain that you know that a
human struggle for civil rights actually happened. The birth house and
the tombstone of a man in such proximity reveal, perhaps, that history
can be changed from one’s own street.
very long street. Despite its short length, however, Auburn Avenue goes
a very long way in terms of historical relevance and social meaning.
The name of it may not be as familiar to many people as the events or
individuals tied to this avenue. Today, however, a segment of Auburn
Avenue is part of one of the most famous and visited National Parks in
the United States. Auburn’s extraordinary significance for America and
the world draws more than half a million visitors every year.
Walking down on Auburn Avenue can be ordinary for the ordinary,
unaware visitor. For a person riding a bus through Auburn –using “Route
3 - Auburn Ave.” of the MARTA system (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit
Authority,) departing from the Five Points Station- the historical
landmarks can be easily missed, if not paying attention. Failing to look to
both sides of this avenue is a sure way to miss the history, and that is
because at first sight, Auburn is not a spectacular avenue.
Conversely, for those who walk on Auburn conscious and history-
sensitive, on an on-foot journey by this remarkable avenue can definitely
be a thrill. Knowledge about events, people, and buildings add
excitement to the walk; walking adds yet another testimony to the
exceptional blending of past greatness and contemporary admiration.
Even with such an amount of noteworthy history, walking by a section of
Auburn Avenue –between Courtland Street and the Interstate 75/85
underpass– can be more of a daring or unsafe venture, depending on
how you want to see it. The former successful “Sweet Auburn”
neighborhood, as the area surrounding this avenue is known, has
deteriorated into a zone of crime and neglect –drug dealing, prostitution
and muggings– where homeless people wander during the day, and
hookers and drug dealers hang out at night.
Many years ago, Auburn was a thriving business corridor of African-
American pride. Fortune Magazine once called it "the richest Negro street
in the world." Today, many years later, in the midst of current ambitious
redevelopment plans, Auburn’s decay is evident. Walk by this section of
Auburn at your own risk.
Located at the northeast corner of Piedmont Avenue and Auburn, the
John Calhoun Park –named after a former president of the NAACP
Atlanta chapter– houses a group of destitute men whose rough
interaction calls attention and attracts police. A man, crouched by the
entrance of an old, abandoned building, pretends to be friendly. His
friendliness degenerates later into a barrage of insults to the passerby,
who just ahead finds relief by looking at a discolored but impressive
mural on a store’s side wall.
Passing Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, Bell and Pratt Streets, one finally reaches a
dividing point -literally and symbolically- , when the huge shadow
created by the underpass of Interstate 75/85 –the Downtown
Connector, elevated through Atlanta’s central business district–
welcomes you to full blown history.
The underpass is a dark preamble to the bright chapters of history you
are about to witness. The stench dominating the area of the underpass
is a sure indicator that the homeless people inhabiting under this
atmosphere of “privacy” use it as public restrooms. Out of the shadow, a
homeless man receives visitors on the sidewalk on the other side of the
underpass; he says he knows exactly “where you’re heading.” With his
best smile, he almost convinces you he’s a tourist guide.
Entering the heart of today’s “Sweet Auburn,” the beating of living
history is finally heard at the intersection of Jackson Street. There, at the
southeast corner of Auburn, a red-brick, three-story building welcomes
you, almost unbelievable, to the past: the Ebenezer Baptist Church, a
stoic 82-year old structure, a true symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.
At this very spot, the echo of the grave voice of the most prominent
leader of the movement’s era, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., is
still audible. There’s nothing virtual or imaginative about this resonance:
the thunder-like sound of his famous voice comes from the speakers
inside the church –now a museum-like building, where recordings of
famous King’s sermons are continuously heard. The effect is chilling; the
experience is almost real.
Ebenezer witnessed two generations of Kings preaching from its pulpit.
Here, young Martin was baptized, became an assistant pastor; the silent
pews testified his funeral, and the violent death of his mother Alberta.
Most recently, Ebenezer hosted, in February of 2006, Coretta Scott
King's funeral.
Ushering through a self-guided tour of Ebenezer, the visitor can easily
be transported into the past. Coming out of it, and walking eastbound
on Auburn, the present comes back, but then, almost unexpectedly,
there is, surrounded by a reflecting pool, a white marble crypt: King’s
tomb. Located on the grounds of the King Center, King’s burial place is
situated right in the middle of Jackson Street and Boulevard. The
imposing crypt is flanked by Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King
Center, half a block away from the house where he was born is situated.
At this site, Auburn Avenue reveals its unique destiny in African-American
history. On this same avenue, within just approximately one thousand
feet, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born and raised, worked as an assistant
pastor, and was buried. This is truly an amazing and exceptionally
meaningful fact binding a remarkable man and an incredible avenue.
This area was designated a National Historic Landmark district on May 5,
1977, and a national historic site on October 10, 1980. The buildings
included in this area make up 35 acres. A large visitor center was built to
house a museum chronicling the Civil Rights Movement, as well as King’s
involvement in it.
In front of Ebenezer Baptist Church, at the northeast corner of Jackson
Street, a new and bigger building houses the Ebenezer Baptist Church
Horizon Sanctuary, opened on March 7, 1999. The building’s auditorium
seats 2000 people. Old and new buildings blend in a full circle of historic
magnitude and contemporary importance of a time and struggle for
freedom.
Crossing a road simply called Boulevard, the visitor heads to the final
destination on Auburn: the Martin Luther King, Jr. birth house, a two-
story Queen Anne style house at 501 Auburn Avenue. A tour, conducted
by a National Park Service’s ranger, leads you into the fully restored
historic house, arranged to be fully furnished to its original appearance
when King lived in it. It was in the middle room on the second floor,
where the man that would change the course of history was born on
January 15, 1929. Thirty-nine years later, King would be buried a few
feet away. Auburn thus became a unique stretch in Atlanta and the
world, welcoming a boy into history, and giving a martyred man his final
resting place.
Auburn Avenue may or may not see an economic boom again; its place in
history, however, is more than earned. Walking down its unassuming
sidewalks, shared by tourists from around the world, homeless, drug
dealers and hustlers, Auburn embraces you from both sides in a breath-
taking historic experience.
Walking down on Auburn, ultimately, makes certain that you know that a
human struggle for civil rights actually happened. The birth house and
the tombstone of a man in such proximity reveal, perhaps, that history
can be changed from one’s own street.
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| Photos by Eduardo Barraza |
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Eduardo Barraza is a journalist and writer,
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
