ATLANTA — If the walls could talk inside the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church on the corner of James P. Brawley and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, it would have a lot to say.
“This was the think tank. The workhorse place for those who were actively involved in the [civil rights] movement," explained Annette Abernathy, the daughter-in-law of civil rights icon Rev. Dr. Ralph David Abernathy. "This was the place that gave the OK for the march on the Edmund Pettus bridge."
“The greenlight was given from this church,” she said.
The historic church is where Abernathy served as full-time pastor from 1961 to 1973.
West Hunter Street Baptist moved to what is now Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in 1973.
“Black and white Americans came from across the country to learn the non-violent way. That was done at this church,” Abernathy said.
Today, Annette Abernathy’s mission is clear for the former church.
She wants to carry on the legacy of her father in-law and see through the vision of her late husband, Ralph David Abernathy III.
“Right now, we are focusing on the restoration of the church. We are focused on getting it a national registry of its own," she said. "We are focusing on making it a national landmark and eventually hoping to have it become a national park. There are so few civil rights national parks across this country."
The church building is owned by the Ralph David Abernathy, III Foundation.
The National Parks Service is conducting a special resource study to determine whether or not it meets criteria to be included in the national park system.
Abernathy said the church was awarded two grants through the National Parks Service that total up close to $900,000.
“The initial funds have allowed us to clean the abatement process, mold, asbestos and mildew. It’s also allowing us to put a new roof on the church which will be happening in the next couple of weeks," Abernathy said. "The stain glass windows have been removed and we are sending them to Lynchburg, Virginia for restoration."
By the end of July, the plan is to have a new roof, new windows and the bricks resurfaced, along with electrical and plumbing work done.
Eventually, the plan is to also install an elevator.
“My father-in-law and mother-in-law, Rev. and Mrs. Abernathy, have tons of artifacts from their time in the movement. This could be their home,” Abernathy said.
She said the foundation applied for a third grant that would help them complete the restoration process.
The National Parks Service is expected to wrap up its special resource study on the church by next fall.
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