And the Walls Came Tumbling Downâ is a riveting publication that seems to have garnered more controversy than praise for the late civil rights pioneer. When he wrote the 620-page book in 1989, Abernathyâs hope was to give readers an unprecedented look into the historic Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and â60s that he and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. co-created and co-led.
In the introduction section, Abernathy wrote, âI have decided to write this autobiography after all for two reasons: first, to show how life is lived during the era of Jim Crow and, second, to show what it was like to be at the center of the Civil Rights Movement as it operated on a day-by-day basisâ¦I was privileged to be in command headquarters â in the earlier years as Martin Luther Kingâs closest friend and âpastorâ of the movement, and in later years as its leader.â
Editor s note: This story is part of an ongoing series of stories exploring how Oklahoma faith communities have confronted racism and bigotry. EDMOND The Rev. Eric Laverentz s parents gave him a …
In 1954,
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wasnât the civil rights icon he would eventually become. At the time, King was in his mid-20s and served as the new pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. A well-known pastor in Montgomery mentored King.  The mentor was
Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy, Sr., senior pastor of First Baptist Church, one of Montgomeryâs oldest Black congregations. Â Abernathy and King became close friends.
âMy father taught him how to pastor, how to lead a church,â said
Donzaleigh Abernathy, daughter of Ralph and Juanita Abernathy. âHe taught him how to administer communion.â