ATL honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on 50th anniversary of assassination
M.D. Roberts Middle School Fine Arts Magnet students perform during ATL’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 5.
By Anika Robertson
Senior Editor/Assistant Public Relations Manager
The world’s busiest and most efficient airport honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during a stirring tribute featuring poignant remarks and moving performances for the American icon.
Senior Deputy General Manager Michael Smith beamed with pride as he stood before dozens of attendees celebrating the life and legacy of one of the world’s greatest civil rights leaders.
“So much of who we are and what we do at Hartsfield-Jackson resonate with Dr. King’s dream,” Smith said April 5 in the Domestic Terminal atrium. “The Airport’s culture is one of efficiency and excellence, and that’s how Dr. King operated. The civil rights movement was never easy, but it had such great purpose. And despite racial divisions that still exist today, our nation’s progress over the past 50 years is without question.”
The event took place in conjunction with The King Center’s MLK50 Forward, an initiative commemorating the 50th anniversary of the iconic leader’s assassination.
Several large placards of Dr. King filled the Domestic Terminal atrium as the audience was moved by the words of Dr. King’s last speech, “Mountaintop,” recited by orator Stephon Ferguson.
Performances by M.D. Roberts Middle School Fine Arts Magnet students and members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. from Morehouse College, King’s alma mater, honored King’s words and tireless actions.
Smith recounted his experience 50 years ago as he witnessed the procession of Dr. King’s funeral on what is now Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard.
“I remember standing out in front of my church with my family taking pictures … and singing along with the crowd as they went by,” he said, showing Dr. King’s original funeral program.
Alongside several volunteer chaplains of various faiths, Airport Chaplain Adrien Neely called for unity and “diversity without divisiveness” on behalf of ATL’s Interfaith Chapel.
“As Dr. King so clearly stated, ‘Only light can drive out darkness and only love can drive out hate.’”
Although Dr. King left us much too early, the burden is on us to create a better world for our children and generations to come, Neely said.
Year-round, Hartsfield-Jackson hosts an art exhibit celebrating Dr. King. Titled “Legacy of a Dream,” the display on Concourse E is divided into five categories: early life, family life, message, untimely death and honors achieved, and his legacy.
