Dream Builders

Dream Builders. Voices of the Movement. , “If you can’t fly then run, then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” , Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., In 1952, Reverend Charles Kenzie "C.K." Steele moved with his family to Tallahassee from Montgomery, Alabama to become senior pastor at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American houses of worship in historic Frenchtown. After his arrival, Rev. Steele became a force in the Tallahassee Bus Boycott and the organizations created to eliminate segregation in the city and nation., Bethel Baptist became the eye of the storm as the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE), Urban League, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Tallahassee Ministerial Alliance, and the Inter-Civic Council (ICC) utilized the church as one of the safe havens for planning strategies during the Civil Rights Movement. At the church, mass meetings were held, boycotts and sit-ins were planned, safe housing for protesters was found, and bail money was raised. Also, rallies were organized, voters were registered, rides to the polls were provided, meals were prepared, and any service vital to the cause was available. These non-violent initiatives were enacted under the leadership of Rev. Steele and other civil rights activists., Rev. Steele was recognized and supported as the voice of the movement in Tallahassee by fellow Morehouse College graduate and civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The two men became both friends and colleagues as they worked tirelessly, together to create a more just and equitable society for all humankind., Both Dr. King and Rev. Steele were among the founders of the SCLC that was organized on January 10, 1957, following the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. The organization was formed by black leaders as they discussed the necessity of expanding bus boycotts and protests in an effort to further strengthen the attacks on segregation and inequality. Dr. King was selected president of the SCLC, and Steele worked with him as the organization's first vice president., Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who visited Tallahassee on several occasions, was described by pro-segregationists as an “outside agitator." His beautiful orations presented in his captivating voice, however, calmed the fearful and inspired the faithful. Whenever he spoke at a rally or gathering to address racial injustices, the attendance was at capacity. The people represented diverse social, economic, and cultural constituencies who were united to hear a word from Dr. King., The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956 had made Dr. King an international celebrity. Yet in Tallahassee, a bus boycott that started five months after Montgomery's and had little outside help, proved that average citizens - the foot soldiers - could prevail against the status quo. Tallahassee's bus boycott and subsequent civil rights efforts were supported by Dr. King. On May 26, 1957, the Inter-Civic Council invited him to speak at a rally commemorating the first anniversary of the Tallahassee Bus Boycott., (captions) , Reverend C.K. Steele (center left), and Reverend H. McNeal Harris (center right) protesting segregated bus seating in Tallahassee. Reference collection. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida. December 24, 1956., Tallahassee Civil Rights March. Photograph by John Charles Buckley, courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, 1971, Officers of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Copy of Telegram from Martin Luther King Jr. to C.K. Steele, March 19, 1960. Creator: Martin Luther King, Jr., Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida., (sidebar) , King inspired people to participate in ways both big and small. , Lessie Graham Sanford , Lessie Graham Sanford was the epitome of a foot-soldier in the Civil Rights Movement. As a member of the NAACP, she was a quiet observer of the plans and strategies enacted at mass meetings. She was not an orator or leader, but she found her niche in other areas where she took care of behind-the-scenes activities that supported the success of the movement. She knew everyone in the African American communities. Sanford canvassed the Tallahassee area, enrolled new voters, assisted current voters with absentee ballots, and aided with rides to the poll. -Photograph: Courtesy of Bernard Sanford, Cornelia Roberts Osborne , Everyone knows that an army moves on its stomach, and the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement dined well at the home of Leroy and Cornelia Roberts Osborne on Macomb Street, just a few blocks from Boulevard Street (this street was later renamed Martin Luther King Boulevard by the Tallahassee City Commission). At their home, the leading ministers of the movement enjoyed lavish meals on superb china and glistening silverware. The tables were adorned with magnificent floral arrangements and sparkling lead crystal stemware. Without a doubt, the meal and dining accessories were at their finest when Dr. King was in attendance. The Osborne family was a prime example of Tallahassee citizens doing their unique part to support the Civil Rights Movement. - Photograph: Courtesy of Janice McCloud Bryant