On Thursday morning in the Ryan Lounge, Juanita Jones Abernathy, widow of Rev. Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, was the keynote speaker at the 19th Empowerment Recognition Breakfast in honor of Black History Month. Dr. Abernathy was a close friend of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the controversial time of the American Civil Rights Movement.
Abernathy was advertised not as the widow of Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, but under the title of civil rights advocate. Although she shared many of her stories of unimaginable times, the overtone was one of justice to human rights.
She touched upon modern politics, including common criticisms against Obama, the first black president to hold the office. Abernathy also discussed the relevance of the civil rights movement in today’s culture.
This breakfast brought in people and corporations outside UMass Boston, including Commonwealth Compact, Amtrack, Walgreens, Eastern Bank, MassDOT, Middlesex Community College, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, monster.com and EMC.
It was co-sponsored by the Multicultural Symposium Series at UMass Boston and Commonwealth Compact, a project “committed to concrete steps aimed at making Boston a welcoming, diverse place to live and work for all people.” To read more by this sponsor, please visit www.umb.edu/commonwealth_compact/about.
