South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Dig deeper into America
Author, actress and activist Donzaleigh Abernathy’s latest project is inspired by her godfather, Martin Luther King Jr. She’s the lead singer on “The Listening,” a choral project that’s a nod to Dr. King’s 1967 “Beyond Vietnam” speech.
“My father (the Rev. Ralph Abernathy) was with Uncle Martin that day at Riverside Church (in New York),” said Abernathy, who is based out of California. “After serving during World War II where all of the men in his company had been killed, except my father and another soldier named Benny, my father decided to dedicate his life to nonviolence.”
Q: What are some of your memories of Dr. King?
A: I will always cherish Uncle Martin’s laughter and love. He used to let us crawl up on his lap and hug and kiss him. I remember living in their home when my parents went around the world on a peace mission and him sitting at the head of the table for breakfast and dinner. I can still see him walking down the hallway in their home carrying his briefcase. Like my father, he was incredibly gentle and always loving. The world outside our homes was dangerous for them, so they made an extra special effort to make the time that we shared with them at home special. Uncle Martin and my father never yelled at us. Never. They always spoke kindly to us as children when they needed to explain something.
Q: How did segregation affect your travels?
A: I remember taking the segregated train in one of my best Sunday dresses with my sister and our father from Montgomery to Atlanta to see our best friend, Yolanda King, who had moved with her parents to Atlanta. I remember the train ride, the dirty “colored only” bathroom and Uncle Martin and Yolanda picking us up at the beautiful old train station in Atlanta, which has been torn down.
Q: If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A: The best Christmas vacations were going as a family every year to Germany to visit my sister, day trips to Zurich, then taking the train and also driving to Paris to spend New Year’s Eve and a week in Paris. My parents gave us that family trip every year so that we could all be together as a family with my sister in Germany and experience different cultures.
Q: If you had travel plans for 2020 and had to cancel, where were they to?
A: I had several speaking engagements that were canceled. I was expected to speak in New York and Alabama and to attend events in Georgia and Germany.
Q: What untapped destination should people know about?
A: Visiting our national parks. America is gorgeous! I have visited almost every state in America.
Q: Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A: I want to go to Hawaii, New Zealand, explore all of Africa and to visit China, India, Japan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.