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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.
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
Director of Constituent Services for Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Faithful to his
memory and dedicated to his cause are many nieces, nephews, cousins, other
relatives, friends, and the Civil Rights community.
POLITICAL ACTIVISM (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. It
is almost impossible to recall the America and the Atlanta that existed for Black Americans before Joe Boone.
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)
Affiliations, 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"
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
Gate City Day Care Nursery Board of Directors
Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Biography
Copyright 2013-2014 by the Joseph E, Boone Memorial Foundation. All Rights Reserved.