Honoring unsung heroes of civil rights era
Published: August 1, 2007
In any war there are many unknown soldiers whose names are never mentioned, and the fight for civil rights in America is no different.
More than 200 people gathered at Christ Temple Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on Saturday for the Who’s Who of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Class of 1957-2007 to celebrate those in the Floyd County area who made an impact on the civil rights movement during the past 50 years.
“Sometimes small people in the civil rights movement have been left out,” said Bishop Norris Allen, chairman of the Coosa Valley Area chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “We call them the forgotten heroes.”
Not only did the service recognize those who demonstrated against segregation, it also recognized those churches and individuals who have reached out to the underprivileged community.
The main goal for the future of the civil rights movement, said Allen, is to reach out to young people and teach them King’s philosophy.
“Young people only know that they have freedom,” said Allen. “But they don’t know how they got that freedom. We are focused on the future in the Coosa Valley.”
The awards ceremony recognized 118 recipients and 90 businesses in the Floyd County area that the SCLC feels have furthered the cause of civil rights in the past 50 years.
Among those honored were Hardy Finley, who was the first black police chief of Kingston, the second black police chief in Georgia and the first motorcycle police officer in Rome.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Finley of the civil rights movement, as he talked about old memories.
Also honored was Pack Adams, who was court martialed by the Air Force in 1957 at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida for praying with a fellow Christian, who happened to be black.
“My life has been rebellious,” said Adams. “I guess I enjoy telling people when they are full of it.”
Adams also defied the school board in Barnwell, S.C., when they told him they would not renew his teacher’s certificate unless he quit attending an area black church.
“I don’t really agree with all of King’s existentialist philosophy,” said Adams. “But that man had guts, and I pray to God every day to grant me that type of guts.”
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