The Reverend
Joseph Everhart Boone
"Civil Rights Legend"
(September 19, 1922 - July 15, 2006)
EDUCATION
Booker T. Washington High School, Atlanta, Georgia
B.S., Houston Tillotson College (1950), Austin, Texas
Bachelor of Divinity, Gammon Theological Seminary (1954), Atlanta, Georgia
MINISTRY
First Congregational Church, Anniston, Alabama (1955-1959)
Rush Memorial Congregational Church, Atlanta University Center, Atlanta, Georgia
(1959-1980)
ATHLETICS
Booker T. Washington Bulldogs
Negro World's Football Champion New York Brown Bombers (1943-1947)
Captain, Houston Tillotson College Football Team
Some of the major highlights of his career were:
- Pastor, First Congregational
Church. Organized the first "Selective Buying Campaign" in Alabama.
- Pastor, Rush Memorial Church. Provided an organizational base for the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights, mobilizing students of the AU Center to conduct civil disobedience and demonstrations necessary to produce negotiated agreements desegregating 70 lunch counters, theatres and golf courses in Atlanta. This student movement groomed future generations of black leadership (such as Marian Wright Edelman, Julian Bond, Lonnie King, Carolyn Long Banks and others).
- Chief Negotiator for
Operation Bread Basket, the economic arm of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference. Was responsible for coordinating with over 200 ministers in
establishing the nationwide network of branches in over 30 cities.
- Director of the Metropolitan
Atlanta Summit Leadership Congress, Inc. (composed of 70 organizations)
Was responsible for negotiating with the Atlanta School Committee for the
desegregation of Atlanta Public Schools. Was designated by Mrs. Coretta
Scott King to coordinate the first leg of the "Poor People's Campaign",
which included arranging accommodations for 10,000 demonstrators traveling
through Atlanta to construct Resurrection City on the Capitol Mall in Washington,
D.C.; Organized the Afro American Patrolmen's League and its brother firefighter
group.
- Director, the P.J.
Woods Center for the Blind and Elderly. Coordinated significant facility
for the handicapped. Established a drug therapy community consisting of
three 24 hour residential treatment facilities, including employment opportunities.
- Co-chairperson, Atlanta Against Unfairness in Broadcasting. Persuaded the FCC to condition license renewals for all major TV and radio companies (including NBC, CBS, and ABC) on providing credible programming which met the "public interest test", being relative to the needs of black people in Georgia.
POLITICAL ACTIVISIM (Included, but was not limited to)
- Organizing the campaign for the impeachment of Gov. Lester Maddox
- Organizing the campaign for the first black mayoral candidate of Atlanta, Dr. Horace Tate
LABOR ACTIVISM
- Labor activism included organizing the campaign for justice for 300 janitors in the Georgia Building Authority.
- Other campaigns targeted
discrimination involving students, staff, faculty, administrators at Georgia
Institute of Technology, and over 150 protests and boycotts in Atlanta and
Georgia.
The
achievements of those campaigns in which he participated are legendary. The
impact was astounding-history making changes in the city of Atlanta, regionally,
and nationally. The scope and span of his career as an activist for civil
and economic rights are amazing. There are few sectors of the economy that
have not been subject to his scrutiny.
Economic participation agreements affecting upward mobility for laborers,
hiring in middle management, improved salary scales, banking deposits with
black banks, contracts for suppliers and services (such as advertising) were
negotiated with the following companies:
International
- World Headquarters
of Coca-Cola
- Hyatt Regency (flagship of international Portman hotel chain)
National
- Frito Lay
- Marriott Hotels
- Zales
- Eastern
- Budweiser
- Sheraton Hotels
- K Mart
- Greyhound
- A & P Food Stores
- Hilton Hotels
- Sears
- Trailways
- Associated Grocers
- Woolworth
- Delta
- Bell Telephone
Regional/Atlanta
- Colonial Bread
- American Hotel
- Pace Thompson Boland
Lee
- Food Giant
- Lockheed
- IGA
- Bilo's
- Kroger
- 7-11 Franchises
- Georgia Power
- Champs
- Biltmore Hotel
- Butler Shoes
- Ford Motor Company
- Winn Dixie
- Cub Foods
- Sunshine's
- Atlanta Gas Light World Congress Center
- Atlanta Journal Constitution (89 week picket line)
It is almost impossible to recall the America and the Atlanta that existed
for Black Americans before Joe Boone.
Some of His Many
Honors and Awards
1959 Anniston, Alabama
"Civic Leader of the Year" - First Congregational Church
1964, The Young Man of the Year in Religion, Atlanta Chapter of the Y's Men,
International
1967 The Excelsior Knights Citizenship Award
1971 Governor's Council on Human Relations (Appointed by Governor Jimmy Carter)
1971 WGUN Outstanding Citizen Radio Award, Atlanta
1973 National Labor Relations Award
1975 Bronner Brothers "Civil Rights Fighter of the Year"
Gate City Day Care Nursery Board of Directors
Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
1991 Clark Atlanta University "Civil Rights Award"
1999 Community Service and Civil Rights Award
2002 United Church of Christ Meritorious Award
2003 Civil Rights Legend Award
2005 Christianity, Civil Rights and Humanity Award
2006 Special Congressional Recognition
2006 International Civil Rights Walk of Fame Award
Joseph
is the son of the late John L. and Mattie Roberts Boone. During his marriage
to Atlanta educator Alethea Williams Boone of Selma, Alabama, they became
the parents of two daughters, Jolaunda and Andrea. Jolaunda, who has chosen
real estate as a career, is presently married to Reginald Campbell and they
are the proud parents of ReJoseph Bernard and MeLeah Joyea. Andrea is currently
Chief Administrative Officer for Atlanta City Council District Ten. Faithful
to his memory and dedicated to his cause are many nieces, nephews, cousins,
other relatives, friends, and the Civil Rights community.