Juanita Jones Abernathy on the Civil Rights Movement

Juanita Jones Abernathy recounted her experiences during the Civil Rights Movement and reflected on the experience of many other women civil rights activists, who she believes were often overshadowed by the male leadership. She also took questions from the audience. Mrs. Abernathy participated in events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Albany, Birmingham, Selma, Chicago, the Poor People’s Campaign, and the Charleston Strike of 1968. She is the widow of Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, who worked with Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Mrs. Abernathy was introduced by Professor Tindal, who gave biographical and historical context. This session of the Southern Historical Association 80th annual meeting, held at the Atlanta Hilton, was sponsored by the SHA Committee on Minorities, the Georgia Humanities Council and the Georgia State University Department of African American Studies. close