
ATLANTA—“You’ve got to lead from the front…” these are the words Civil Rights Activist Lonnie King used when persuading Martin Luther King, Jr. to participate in a major boycott of downtown Atlanta, an event that would knowingly and ultimately land Martin Luther King, Jr in jail. And that eventuality was the point… the idea was to get the leader of the American Civil Rights Movement on the front page of newspapers around the world… to share the cause, the struggle and the hope for a better future—a move that amounts to an cry from people all over the world for support and change here in the U.S.
Two Kings—two leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement. One needs no introduction… the other, passionate and dedicated. Lonnie King was instrumental in the success of the movement.
An Exhibition of Historic Papers
Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 28 and closing Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, an exhibition of Lonnie King’s papers will be unveiled at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. A different, mobile exhibit will also travel around the state throughout the rest of 2025.
The exhibition will help educate the public about the civil rights leader’s life and his role in reshaping the South during the Civil Rights Movement. Hailing from Arlington, GA, King was a trailblazing activist, and long-time confidant of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the fight for racial equality (despite the common last name, these men were not related).
Lonnie King was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and leader of the Committee on the Appeal for Human Rights. While attending Morehouse College, King co-authored the “Appeal for Human Rights,” an influential manifesto advocating equality, justice and desegregation in Atlanta (some of this manifesto will be on display in this exhibition).
Lonnie King and the Honors College at GSU
Lonnie King will be remembered and celebrated as a leader and activist for civil rights—a cause which he dedicated his life to. But to GSU’s Honors College, King played a special role in our development.
To learn more about King’s involvement with the Honors College, we sat down with Dean of the Honors College, Dr. Sarah Cook, PhD:
- Question: How did you come to know Lonnie King?
- Dean Cook: I met Lonnie when Dr. Karcheik Sims-Alvarado, who was teaching an Honors seminar on the legacy of the Herndon Family, invited him to speak to her students. I attended that class and afterward asked Lonnie if he could help me with a couple of projects. After a moment, he looked me straight in the eye and said he would after I put some skin in the game.The building the Honors College is located in is actually the last purpose-built building for the Atlanta Life Company. King’s challenge was how I found myself working with the Georgia Historical Society, Atlanta City Council and the university to install a historical marker in front of Centennial Hall (the Atlanta Life Building).The Atlanta Life Company was the first to sell life insurance to the African American community in Atlanta—if not perhaps the first to sell life insurance to this community country-wide. They also employed a large number of African Americans in the community and the company was seen as a civic and cultural leader in the community.
- Question: What was Lonnie King’s relationship with the Honors College, and what kind of impact did he make on it?
- Dean Cook: Lonnie connected us to the Rich Foundation that later funded the Honors College’s Herndon Human Rights Initiative, the Leadership Certificate for Social Change, and the preservation of Lonnie’s papers in our library’s special collections. Together, these projects teach students about the Herndon family’s life, the impact of the Atlanta Life Company on the sweet Auburn neighborhood and the black community, as well as King’s role as a leader in the long struggle for civil rights at a local and national level.The projects also include the endowed Herndon Human Rights Scholarship. This scholarship is an opportunity for an Honors College student whose art, research or service related to civil and human rights and supports our annual lectures/conversations in human rights. The funding/initiatives allows students to look back and learn about Atlanta’s history and move forward, with the skills to stand for civil and human rights in any direction they take.
- Question: What was Lonnie King like?
- Dean Cook: Lonnie could be intense, funny, and boy—could he turn a phrase! He was warm and engaging. He selflessly gave hours to our students, teaching them about the Atlanta Student Movement, leadership and the role of economics in social justice. He usually mesmerized the students with his recall of historical knowledge and the ability to teach without one note in front of him.I felt honored that he spent some of the last years of his life believing in the Honors College. Even more honored by his friendship. We often remarked—while having lunch together—that in our lifetimes, there was a time when an older black man having lunch with a younger white woman was a very dangerous undertaking.
Recently StoryCorps featured part of an interview between Dean Cook and King. Click here to hear it and learn more about King’s life and work.
The Lonnie King exhibition is organized by Christina Zamon, Associate Professor of The Georgia State Library’s Special Collections, with the assistance of Samantha Harvel, GSU Honors College alum as well as support from Dean of Libraries Jeff Steely and Dean of the Honors College Sarah L. Cook.
The exhibit is supported by Georgia Humanities (in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, through appropriations made by the Georgia General Assembly) and The Rich’s Foundation.
The Honors College at Georgia State University is a destination for high-achieving students who embody curiosity, take pride in their work and dream about how they can make an impact through their studies and careers. Its mission is to serve students in a welcoming space by engaging students’ curiosity, empowering them to achieve their highest potential and inspiring them to find their place in the world. Its students form life-long friendships, participate in community service, perform research, excel academically, explore their interests and chart their career paths.