Civil rights activist Donzaleigh Abernathy spoke to Madison community members on Jan. 28 at the seventh annual MLK Symposium, calling on the youth and college students to make change and keep the memory of the Civil Rights Movement alive.
The Shannon Hall event, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement, featured Abernathy, an actress and author. Abernathy’s talk focused on the lives of her father Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy, co-founder of the American Civil Rights Movement and her godfather, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In her talk, Abernathy recounted moments of the Civil Rights Movement including the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington and the moments before King’s assassination. She also witnessed the passage of landmark legislation including the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Bill.
“Uncle Martin said there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression,” Abernathy said. “There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life's July and are left standing in the piercing chill of an Alpine November.”
Abernathy talked about specific stories, such as her house and her father’s church being bombed. She brought new stories to light that have not been taught in education, including children protesting King’s arrest in Birmingham. She shared photos of children being sprayed with water by police.
Abernathy’s career has taken her on a variety of paths including writing books such as “Partners to History: Martin Luther King, Ralph David Abernathy and the Civil Rights Movement” and acting in shows including “Don King-Only in America” and “Miss Evers Boys.”
Abernathy also spoke about white leaders and members of the community who were supportive of the movement, including Rev. Robert Graetz, who was the pastor of an all-Black congregation in Birmingham.
She called on the audience to make change and “make a better world,” which she noted was especially crucial given current events.
“Those young hippies and progressive young white students said, ‘You know what? We're the future. We're going to change America so that everybody in America counts.’ And that's what they did,” Abernathy said. “And so come you college students, young people, you all are going into the future — they can take away some rights now, but you can reinstate it.”
Throughout her speech, Abernathy made connections to current events including diversity, equity and inclusion, affirmative action and climate change, often getting laughs or applause from the audience.
“Do not let anybody tell you all that diversity, equity and inclusion is wrong,” Abernathy said. “Because of our diversity, we're great. Because we have included everybody, and we're seeking equity for everybody.”
The event ended with a Q&A session led by UW-Madison senior Osose Inegbenoise where Abernathy stressed the importance of receiving higher education.
“Education is the dividing line. It's the difference between the haves and the have nots. What are you going to be a laborer for the rest of your life?” Abernathy said. “If you have the opportunity to get an education, you need to do it.”
