ALL ABOARD! The 40th ACCORD, Inc. is sponsoring Historical Civil Rights Landmarks Tours of the Freedom Trail to continue educating the community and tourists on the immense Civil Rights History that lies within the city and to raise funds for its upcoming activities. The 90-minute long tours will feature sites where major civil rights activities took place. Each marker on the trail has pictures and small narratives of the heroes of the movement who risked their lives in pursuit of basic human dignity rights. The Freedom Trail Phase I Markers were made possible through the generosity of the Northrop Grumman Corporation with a grant to ACCORD, Inc. ACCORD is planning to add ten new markers to the trail during the 2nd Annual Freedom Trail Celebration scheduled for July, 2008.
Patrons will board the Historic St. Augustine Red Train at the Excelsior African American Cultural Museum, 102 M.L. King Ave.
The tour will be narrated by local historian David Nolan (who is also Co-Chair of the Freedom Trail Project). Sites along the tour will include the home of Mrs. Janie Price, a retired nurse who during the turbulent 60's movement was housemother to many college student demonstrators, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. Other stops along the way include the former home of Mrs. Loucille Plummer who was the secretary of SCLC and a nurse who lost her job because of her civil rights involvement. Her home was the target of angry segregationists who filled a beach ball full of gasoline and threw it near the propane tank in a futile attempt to blow up her home. The Governor of Massachusetts' 72-year old mother, Mrs. Mary Peabody stayed at her home before she and her friends were arrested for a sit-in at the Ponce de Leon Motor Lodge; St. Paul A.M.E. Church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered some of his most powerful sermons before hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets marching in non-violent protests against segregation in the Nation's Oldest city and where baseball great Jackie Robinson spoke to encourage the demonstrators to keep on fighting for justice and equality; the former site where the only thing remains are the steps of the home of Bungum and Lillian Roberson which was firebombed by the KKK. The family escaped certain death because as Mrs. Roberson said, "... GOD had me awake that night ... could not sleep because of sinus trouble ... heard a loud noise ... looked out the window and saw some men running ... thought my mother's house was on fire ... it was mine ... awakened my husband and got the boys out ..."
The cost of the tour is a donation to ACCORD, Inc.: $15 for adults and $7 for students. Dates for the tours are: Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. & 1:00 P.M. and Saturday, February 16, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. & 1:00 P.M. After each scheduled tour, the museum will be open to accommodate those who would like to see the exhibits on display. Contact Carrie Johnson (904) 825-1194 or Gale Burnick (904) 823-9688 for information and reservations. For more information on the Freedom Trail, please visit our web site at: www.accordfreedomtrail.org.
Copyright © 2008
Last Modified: December 31, 2007.
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