ATLANTA — Georgia's lawmakers on Capitol Hill are working to cement the legacy of civil rights activist and Baptist minister Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., in U.S. history.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock have introduced a Senate bill to recognize Atlanta's West Hunter Street Baptist Church as a National Historic Site. Congresswoman Nikema Williams led the initiative first in the House earlier this month, meaning with a companion bill in both chambers it is one step closer to becoming law.
Abernathy became the sixteenth pastor and leader of the church in 1961 and would guide the congregation for nearly 30 years through the Civil Rights Movement. He is credited for growing the church in both memberships and acreage.
If passed, the bipartisan legislation would give the church protections, preserve its legacy, and in turn, Abertnathy's contributions.
“Ralph David Abernathy Sr. was a great Georgian, a great American, and a titan of the civil rights movement,” Ossoff said in a news release. “This is why Sen. Warnock and I are working together to establish Atlanta’s West Hunter Street Baptist Church as a National Historic Site and preserve the legacies of Reverend Abernathy, his wife Juanita, and the church.”
Georgia lawmakers are also pushing to name the historic site after Abernathy.
Other members of Congress have backed the House bill, including Rep. Hank Johnson, Rep. Austin Scott, Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., Rep. Early L. "Buddy" Carter, Rep. Lucy McBath, and Rep. David Scott.
“West Hunter Baptist Street Church played an active role in the civil rights movement where Ralph David Abernathy Sr. used his pulpit to lead the call for economic justice and civil rights," Williams said in a prepared statement. "I am proud to introduce the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr. National Historic Site Act so future generations can carry on his work."
