Albany Civil Rights Institution receives $10,000 from 2016 King Day Celebration
January event celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. benefits ACRI
By Jon Gosa
ALBANY — Members of the King Day Celebration Committee, including Chairmen Ken Hodges and Billy Robinson, presented $10,000 to the Albany Civil Rights Institute on Thursday.
“This is the 15th year that we have been doing this,” Hodges said. “We do a celebration at the Albany Civic Center every year on Martin Luther King’s birthday.
“Mr. Robinson and myself co-chair the committee, which identifies people who exemplify the ideals of Dr. King and we give them the MLK Dream award. I think we gave out five this year. We also sell tickets and sponsorships (for special events) and the money we raise goes to support the Civil Rights Institute. Today we are donating a check for $10,000.”
The Albany Civil Rights Institute began in 1994. For years before that, various groups in the city of Albany had discussed the idea of a museum to honor the efforts of Albanians during the Civil Rights Movement. Mt Zion Baptist Church donated its 1906 church building, located on Whitney Avenue, and provided the initial funding for the project.
The nonprofit organization and museum began raising funds to restore the old building. In ‘94 the Dougherty County Commission voted to include the museum in the list of projects funded by revenues from a special-purpose sales tax. The city donated an additional $250,000 to the project and board members raised another $100,000 from private individuals and businesses.
Restoration of the old Mt. Zion Church was completed in 1998 and the original Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum opened its doors on Nov. 16 of that year. Later, a new museum building was added next door which opened in October 2008.
“The money we received today will be used for general operation purposes,” Albany Civil Rights Institute Executive Director W. Frank Wilson said. “It will help us keep the doors open so we can continue to bring this wonderful history to the public.”
“This is a fabulous facility,” Hodges said. “I would like to encourage people to come and explore. This is a part of history. It’s a fabulous museum, there is a lot to learn and people should bring their children and spend an afternoon here.”
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