ATLANTA -- JT Johnson was a backstage organizer who worked with Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement. He estimates he was jailed at least two dozen times.
Most of us have never heard of JT Johnson, who lives in SW Atlanta. That may include those behind the dedication of the new MLK National Memorial in Washington DC, which will be ceremonially opened at the end of August. Johnson says he's had no contact with organizers.
"There's a lot of us that won't even be mentioned. They're having a legacy luncheon which hopefully we will attend," said Johnson. "We don't have tickets to anything. I don't. And some of my friends don't either."
Former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young says the guest list for the dedication has been subject of great speculation among those who worked with Dr. King. VIP seating is in great demand.
"There are (only) so many seats that are reserved for veterans of the (civil rights) movement, Young said. "Who gets those seats, I'm not sure."
Martin Luther King III has been fielding requests for seating -- though he says the fraternity which funded the monument, Alpha Phi Alpha, has the final say-so.
"Every (financial) contributor has 'x' number of seats," King said. "There were over 70 contributors that gave over a million dollars (to fund the monument). I don't know how many tickets any one of those individuals got."
Forty-three years after Dr. King's assassination, Young says it's sometimes difficult to sort out genuine civil rights veterans from wannabes.
"I run into people all the time that say 'Remember me? I was in jail with you in Birmingham.' I say, No you weren't.' They say, 'Yes I was.'
"I say 'No, I didn't go to jail in Birmingham,'" Young laughed.
"When Martin Luther King went to jail in Birmingham, only 55 people showed up. Now there are five million people who say they were there."
JT Johnson says he's not sweating a ticket. He says he'll attend the monument dedication, regardless.
"People know us," Johnson said. "They know what we did."
One of them is Martin Luther King III, who told us Johnson's absence from the guest list is an oversight.
"Absolutely, J.T. Johnson should have been invited," King said. "I would be very surprised if he doesn't end up there. And there are others. The reality is, there are so many heroes and heroines-- unsung heroes and heroines (of the civil rights movement) -- and some of them will be there. Maybe not all."
Congressman John Lewis also says JT Johnson is one of a number of civil rights insiders deserving of a seat at the dedication. Lewis says he's going to work over the next two weeks to make it happen.