A legend passes on...

[Eclipse]

I don't know if this is making the news outside of the Atlanta area, but civil rights legend Hosea Williams passed away on yesterday after a lengthy bout with kidney cancer. Hosea was there on the frontlines with King and Abernathy during the bloody battles of the 50s & 60s. He continued his fight until the last days of his life, refusing to turn 'establishment' as a lot of people do. Rev. Williams was best known as an agitator--he shook things up!! Some of us semi-old heads may remember his march to Forsyth County, an all white county in GA, (the common refrain was--and is to a lessor degree--'don't let the sun go down on your Black a** in Forsyth county') in the 80s. Rev. Williams has been known for the past 30 years for sponsoring one of the largest feed the homeless programs in the country at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Last year it was at Turner Field (our baseball stadium) and it was estimated that 30,000 folks were fed, and had the opportunity to get clothes, haircuts and medical and dental treatment. His daughter Elizabeth pledges to continue it.

Here's a great article about his life: http://www.accessatlanta.com/partner...ial/hwtribute/

[PinkCashmere]

Eclipse,

Thanks for posting this! Folks in the Atlanta area definitely know who "Uncle" Hosea is. He was definitely a man who spoke his mind and fought for equality. His Feed The Hungry campaign has always been the highlight of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. In a time where everything has become some commercialized, he showed how we could just go back to the bare basics of showing love, not by giving expensive gifts to our family and friends, but by giving food, clothes, or a simple haircut (things we all take for granted) to someone we had never met before.

Indeed he was a legend. He was there with MLK, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis, Jesse Jackson and like these other men, he too was beaten but remained unbowed. He will definitley be missed.

If I am not mistaken, Mr. Williams was a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

PC

------------------
Don't just talk about it...Be about it!

[AKA2D '91]

I remember Rev. Williams and the whole Forsyth county MESS. What a loss!

[PositivelyAKA]

wow i never heard of him, but i'm saddened to see his passing, i hope he felt/knew that he had made a difference in his lifetime, because he did, i'm grateful for what he did for me.

[Eclipse]

Originally posted by PinkCashmere:
Eclipse,


If I am not mistaken, Mr. Williams was a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

PC

PinkCashmere,
I did not realize this, but you are right. According to the article I linked to my original post Rev. Williams was a Sigma.

The thing that I loved about Hosea was that he WAS, in every since of the word, a talent 10th, elite, bougie Negro back in the day. He was a chemist, making top dollar--especially for a Black man--and he gave all of that up to help someone else! How many of us would give up our nice cars, homes, salaries,etc. to get our heads beaten in and possibly lose our lives? Heck, you're hard pressed to get folks out on a Saturday morning to pick up trash or go to a nursing home!

The other thing I loved about Hosea was that he did not bite his tounge! I know you are from the ATL area, but did you ever see the shows with Hosea and Alley Pat on one of the local independant channels here? They were too funny! Hosea would put anybody he didn't think was right out on front street and did not care! GA governor Roy Barnes did an interview about Rev. Williams the other day and he said a former GA governor told him that if Hosea called he'd better drop everything and take the call 'cause if he didn't Hosea and 100 other people would be marching outside of his office before the end of the day!! LOL

[Eclipse]

Originally posted by AKA2D '91:
I remember Rev. Williams and the whole Forsyth county MESS. What a loss!

AKA2D'91,
Yeah, it was definately a trip. I was there for the second march and it was a powerful thing to see Black folks out in force like that!