The Albany Movement: a fight for desegregation in the South CMC dean to present personal account in commemoration of Black History Month

By Stefanie Kilts

As a young child growing up in the South, King recalls the “atmosphere of fear” in which he and his family lived. Water fountains and restrooms were clearly designated as “colored” and “white.” And going to the wrong places in town could be dangerous, or at the very least invite public humiliation because certain businesses would only serve blacks after all other customers had been taken care of.

Following the success of the desegregation movement in places like Montgomery, Ala., CMC’s King says his parents called for the help of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and joined with other local citizens to begin talks that would lead to the Albany Movement. As a youth during this tumultuous time, he recalls “following on the coattails” of his mother and his father, who became the president of the Albany Movement, as they navigated meetings and protests in a deeply divided town.

“Justice is carried on by a few individuals in a community,” King says now. “There were probably less than 5 percent of people in Albany who put their lives on the line and suffered for this movement.”

Through the hardships of the protests – he recalls the many times his parents went to jail during this time and were targeted for their roles in the movement – a major shift came out of the Albany Movement; it led to the desegregation of the public schools in Albany. Young Jonathan was the first of six black children allowed to be integrated into a public elementary school.

For King, the message of the movement is one that transcends history: “It’s important to stand up to injustice and to be in touch with one’s own values about what justice is,” he says. “Many people know something’s wrong but won’t fight it.”

To provide an in-depth look at the struggle for equality, his presentation will weave in personal accounts, historical video and audio, and an explanation of the history leading up to and after the movement. “The Albany Movement, 1960-1965: A Personal Account,” will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 19 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Pinnacle Resource Center (the campus library building), Room 317.

“Every person in the room should be able to identify with a story like this,” he says. “It’s a very human struggle and it freed both whites and blacks.”

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Dr. Jonathan King, Colorado Mountain College’s dean of academic affairs at the Leadville campus, will share his firsthand accounts on the front lines of the Albany Movement and the fight to end segregation at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville on Tuesday, Feb. 19. The presentation will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Pinnacle Resource Center (the campus library building), Room 317, and will be in commemoration of Black History Month. Photo Patricia A. Bruno