Her mother mrs. Abernathy pregnant with her second daughter survived the bombing of their home in montgomery in 1957. Along with tuskegee attorney fred gray, she is the last remaining leader from the montgomery busboy cot. On several occasions i have been privileged to listen to mrs. Abernathy, recall her experiences in the civil rights struggle. We are in for a treat. Our program is simple. First, we will hear introductory comments by a scholar. Mrs. Abernathy will offer remembrance s about the movement. Finally well open the floor to questions so we can have an engaging conversation with mrs. Abernathy. Let me identify miss brenda ten dal of university of North Carolina charlotte who will introduce mrs. Abernathy. Native of charlotte earning her bachelor there and working on docket hit at Emory University on dissertation that explores lives of widows. Please join me in welcoming mrs. Tindle. [ applause ] [ applause ] greetings. It is indeed a privilege to provide opening remarks for
Test test test test test my father was a very, very successful farmer and dairyman. And he was never a poor man. And never worked for a white man. Owned his land and plantation, and there were three families who lived on our plantation who worked the land. But he was what i guess people call wealthy. We could never say that. And we were taught that if you ever bragged about anything you have i would disown you. Now, i grew up in a home my father built in 1923. 10 rooms. And an indoor bathroom in the country. He and his brothers never worked for anybody except themselves. And my grandfather came out of slavery, i guess, with enough land to give seven of his children 100 acres apiece. And they were all adjoining each other, except there was a white man who lived with a black woman and had 12 children whose plantation a joineddjoined one side of my fathers. They were not married, but they lived together. And they had 12 milano children mansville children. But my father had a dairy and he
Jesus you got a friend in jesus youve got a friend youve got a friend youve got a friend in jesus [ applause ] tell it that neighbor you got a friend. At this time coming to give remarks and reflectens, the one and only tyler perry. He will be followed by matriarch of hollywood, that industry, the one and only cicely tyson. Then followed by mr. Clief davis, chief executive officer of sony music. Lets these three and then we will have the choir. God bless you everybody. To the family, i just want to say, my prayer my prayer for you is that god will allow you to grieve in waves, not that it would come crashing on you all at once in like a tsunami. Like in waves it was the only thing got me through my mothers death. So i could focused and move on and get through. My prayer is it comes in waves. Its going to come. You cant it work i tried that you cant drink it away. You got to let it come. And my prayer is that it comes in gentle waves for you onto your soul. My mother died in 2009. And i