Donzaleigh Abernathy on her dad's frienship with MLK, her childhood and civil rights movement
From "Suits" to "Shameless" to "The Walking Dead," Donzaleigh Abernathy has acted in some of the most popular shows in the last decade. Now, she is educating young people about her father, Ralph David Abernathy, and his best friend, Martin Luther King.
Abernathy's book "Partners to History" is about her father and King’s route to the Civil Rights era. This book was nominated as one of the best books by the American Library Association.
In Florida, her book is banned.
“They're trying to deny the history of the civil rights movement,” she said. “This is my life, this isn’t made up.”
Abernathy spoke to Central Michigan University on Jan. 17.
The brotherhood of Abernathy's father and MLK
Abernathy said Ralph David Abernathy and King became friends when her dad was going out on a date with a girl but she said she was sick. He went to Spelman College to see King a few weeks after they met at his ministry.
The same girl who said she was sick, had actually stood Abernathy's father up for a date with King. Both King and Abernathy left the woman out of the equation and became friends.
“God has brought his best friend from youth to his front door,” Abernathy said.
She said King and Abernathy built trust with each other.
“There isn’t anything you’re going to do with a man that he is not going to tell his brothers,” she said referencing their friendship.
King is a civil rights activist, who fought for equality for African Americans through peaceful protests. His day, Jan. 15, is a national holiday, according to History Channel.
Who also contributed to the Civil Rights Movement?
Abernathy displayed a picture on the screen of a standing room filled with women.
“Women were the facilitators of change in America,” she said. “They ain't get the credit, but it was the women, the women that filled the street, the women that filled the churches for the mass news.”
Abernathy also gave praise to the women of Michigan today.
“You already have the most amazing governor … During the pandemic, Gretchen Whitmer made those of us that lived in California, all the way down to Florida, look at what was happening out here in Michigan.” Abernathy said, “In Lansing, a woman is in charge of the airport … the women of Michigan are outstanding!”
Abernathy also talked about how Glen Smiley, a preacher, helped her, her dad and the civil rights movement.
“Glen Smiley would teach (King and Abernathy) the principles of non-violence,” she said. “He workshopped them in Montgomery, he workshopped them in Birmingham and Glenn was there in Selma.”
She also said Smiley learned from Dario Lester, who was in the ashram with Gandhi.
When the riots for Rodney King were happening, she was living in Los Angeles. She talked about how Smiley and her overcame this time.
“In the midst of all of this, I found Glen Smiley.” she said. “Once a week he would tell me the situations of my life … It was just incredible to hear the stories of mine from Uncle Glen. I felt at home.”
Smiley was a important factor in successfully starting the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Abernathy's father experience during the Civil Rights movement
With the Montgomery Bus Boycott being a success, many interstate transits were being created. These buses were interracial, and white supremacists were furious. Many white people who rode them were beaten for sitting next to black people, Abernathy said.
“The white supremacists got so angry that they had a mass meeting,” she said. “They surrounded my dad’s church, First Baptist Church, and threatened to kill everybody in the church. You can see people sleeping in the pews because they didn’t know what they were going to do.”
Luckily they were able to contact the Attorney General of the United States back than, Robert Kennedy.
“(Kennedy was) going back and forth with Governor Patterson,” Abernathy said. “Governor Patterson said, 'I'll send the police in, and the good ole boys and they will take care of everything.'
“Thats the Klan … So Kennedy sent the National Guard.”
Abernathy facing Klu Klux Klan
Before she was even born, Abernathy’s life was endangered.
When Abernathy's mother was pregnant with her at the time, she was falling asleep watching a late night TV show in her home.
“The angels awakened her," Abernathy said. "She got up and went into the bedroom.”
Thirteen minutes later, the front of the house had exploded. The bomb had been used by the Klu Klux Klan. If they had bombed the house six inches closer to the gas line, Abernathy would have died, she said.
Reflecting on the Civil Rights Movement, Abernathy said to the young people who want to make change to start now and to protest courageously.
"You need to focus where it needs to go, and then, you need to go above (governors) to find the solution," she said.
