Louise Hamilton and Connie Smith-Lindsey

[00:10] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Good afternoon, good morning, good evening. This is Connie Smith Lindsay I am in metro Atlanta. Today is Tuesday, June 14, 2022. My partner in this conversation is doctor Louise Reed Hamilton. We know each other from the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. Her mother, misses Sarah Atwater Reed was a member of our church for many, many years. And today we get to talk about those fond memories with her mother and our beloved Ebenezer. Miss Hamilton, if you'll go ahead and do the introduction.

[01:01] LOUISE HAMILTON: As said, my name is Louise Hamilton and I am the first born child of Sarah Atwater Reed. And we have attended Ebenezer Baptist Church from actually before birth because I was in my mommy's tummy and she worked as secretary there at the Ebenezer Baptist church.

[01:26] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: I'm sorry, before you all start, I just need to know if you're over 18.

[01:30] LOUISE HAMILTON: Yeah.

[01:32] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Okay. We are adults.

[01:36] LOUISE HAMILTON: All right.

[01:37] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Please go. All right, so we are going to start the conversation and I'm excited to get to know more about the family history and the members who have come through the doors of Heritage sanctuary and horizon sanctuary who are affiliated with Sarah Atwater Reed. But we're going to start with Melissa Atwater. So Doctor Louise, take us through your family tree. How many members have attended Ebenezer Baptist Church?

[02:13] LOUISE HAMILTON: There are actually six generations in the Atwater Reed family who have attended Ebenezer Baptist Church. The first being Melissa Atwater. Second generation, Sarah Atwater Reed, who had one sibling who also attended Ebenezer. Lottie Humphrey, me, Louise Reed Hamilton, who currently have four siblings who all attend Ebenezer Baptist Church. The sisters are Lila Dolores James, Willie Anita James, Melissa James and Sherry Patrice Jordan. Fourth generation is Deidre Harris Nelson, my daughter, who has two siblings, David and Eric, my sons. The fifth generation is Ashley Harris Ellis, who has one sibling, Angelia Coleman. And the 6th generation is Kayla Trinity Peltier, who has three siblings. All attended Ebenezer at one time or another.

[03:30] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Doctor Louise when you think about Ebenezer and you think about your mother, what we know about Misses Sarah Atwater read is that she had this impeccable love of preserving Ebenezer's history. How did you see that taking place at her job, where she worked at Ebenezer and within your home, how did she preserve Ebenezer's history?

[03:59] LOUISE HAMILTON: My mother had an unusual filing system from being a church secretary at Ebenezer for over 50 years, working as a helper with Miss Lillian Dolores Watkins. Prior to becoming one of the office staff, she learned work ethics and the importance of confidentiality at a young age, and as well as organizational skills extraordinaire, she had her own filing system that was beyond description, but absolutely perfect for her. She made notes on programs and always kept several copies for future use. My mom remembered everybody's birthday, anniversary, and on any special day would send cards in celebration. She attended every service, therefore getting a program, a bulletin from that service, whether at Ebenezer or another church. If Ebenezer was involved in any way, she was there to represent and support any Ebenezer member. She adopted young ministers who trained at Ebenezer and often went to where they were again, getting a program and mentoring them as a mother would. She and Miss Watkins made a perfect clerical team and became the best of friends that lasted throughout the life of Miss Watkins, as my mom was her caregiver. In her last days, my mom even named my firstborn sister next to me. Letha The same name, the same middle name as miss Watkins had, and that is Dolores in the home. She was the same way. She kept her bulletins, programs very well organized, and could go and get any program as needed anytime anybody requested.

[05:51] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: If you had to guess, just how many programs did your mother managed to preserve for ebenezer's rich history? What would be a number? You would guess, and then tell us about a time when you decided to help your mother organize those programs.

[06:14] LOUISE HAMILTON: She had over 200 programs, I'm sure. My mom and dad were going on vacation one year, and she asked me to come over and kind of straighten up the house and get things comfortable and just get. Just not really change her filing system, but just do a little tidying up around the house. And I did. I thought I was doing what she asked me to do, but as I started to go through her office area, realizing that she had ten, sometimes 15, of the same program, I thought I was helping out by just eliminating at least ten of them, only to find out when she returned that I never should have removed any of anything that she had, because each had a special meaning to her.

[07:07] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: As we go now through a process of preserving Ebenezer's history, there's a group of women and men at Ebenezer, and we've touched these programs that were dedicated or donated, excuse me, by your mother. She gave them to our former historian, Benjamin Ridgway. And your mother's name, Reed, is at the very top. Either Sarah Reed or Reed. So what a powerful legacy to your mother to preserve the history of Ebenezer let's turn now to your childhood. Your mother took you to Ebenezer. At what age? And walk us through the traditional experiences of children at Ebenezer. Getting to know Daddy King and Mama king, being baptized in Sunday school, and maybe even BTU.

[08:04] LOUISE HAMILTON: Absolutely. I can just remember always being at Ebenezer. Not only Sunday service, but the different activities and services that were going through the week. We had a wonderful youth organization that was known as the Ebenezer Youth Organization, or Eyo. In this group, we had an opportunity to put into practice the lessons that were taught in Sunday school and in BTU, or Baptist Training union. We also had an opportunity to interact with youth of other races and backgrounds at summer camps and field trips that our leaders would take us to. We had many, many chances just to enjoy growing up with the friendships that we made while growing up at Ebenezer.

[09:02] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Most have shared their stories of being baptized, either by Reverend Martin Luther King, SRDH, Reverend Martin Luther King Junior. What's your story of being baptized?

[09:17] LOUISE HAMILTON: Reverend Martin Luther King senior baptized me at a very early age, around the age of six or seven, I believe it was. And it was an experience that was just an experience for me. That's what we did. Around the age of six or seven, we went up to the front and joined the church. And the very next Sunday, we were baptized. The pool was in the very back of the church at the time, and we just were baptized with the deacon in the pool with the pastor to help in the baptism.

[09:55] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: For those who may be listening to our interview, they may not quite so much understand the pool of the baptist church. So let's explain a little bit of what do we really mean by the pool. What happens when you go into the pool on baptism?

[10:14] LOUISE HAMILTON: Well, in the baptist church, definitely at Ebenezer, there is an immersion that takes place during baptism, the pool. May I imagine about the dimensions? I won't even try to guess, but it was never, the depth of the water was never any more than maybe 3ft, if that much. And there would always a deacon in the pool. And it could be a mini waiting pool considered or comparable to that. But Daddy King would be in the pool and another deacon also. Occasionally two people would be baptized at the same time, maybe two children, but usually it was only one person at a time. And they would cross our arms in front of us and lean us backwards until our toe body was under the water, and then they would bring us up.

[11:15] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Okay, well, that certainly will help those who may not know what it's like to be in the baptist church, or baptized as we know it in the baptist church, black church. Let's now talk about music at Ebenezer. What do you remember growing up? And we have people who come to Ebenezer from around the world wanting to hear our choir sing beautiful hymns, gospels and songs. What do you recall about the music in our church?

[11:51] LOUISE HAMILTON: The music at Ebenezer was one of the things that really inspired me. It was worshipful. And the choirs with Mama King, Daddy King, Reverend King Sr's wife, as his first director, have been exceptionally trained, singing hymns and anthems and gospel and choral music that would draw crowds, as you have said, from all around the world, especially when there was a choir concert, and usually there was one or two concerts every year. The voices of the church choir members were gifted by God and trained by some of the most gifted directors. The Ebenezer choirs have been known worldwide for their musical contribution.

[12:45] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Absolutely. And I can't. I can't think of a time where music hasn't been the central part of why people continue to make Ebenezer its church home. Let's turn now to thinking about Martin Luther King Junior, ad Williams King, and Christine King Faris. Let's talk about the children of Mama and Daddy King. What do you recall growing up with them?

[13:22] LOUISE HAMILTON: I recall with ML. King, especially ML. King Junior. Very, very attentive to me as a youth, as well as the other youth. As we grew up, anytime we had questions about anything, he would stop, answer our questions and have conversation with us. His brother ad was the same way. And as we grew older, Ad was the one that made sure we continued. Because as teenagers and as we married and started our own lives, oftentimes we would not come to church every Sunday. But when we did come, Ab would ask where we were on a certain Sunday and encourage us to come every Sunday because we needed to be there. And with Christine, she was our mentor. Especially my friends Dolores High Harper and Brenda Green. We literally worshiped Christine in her dress, in her manner, in her speech. We tried to walk like her, we tried to talk like her. We thought she was the epitome of the perfect lady. She always loved us, and we loved her back.

[14:42] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Well, she certainly. Christine King Faris is certainly one of our members today, and she is a phenomenal woman, indeed, a phenomenal woman. And certainly there are so many of us who admire what she has poured into our lives. So definitely walk and talk like her as well. As if we could wear one of those beautiful crowns or hats on a Sunday, how beautiful would that be? Take us now, absolutely. Oh, go ahead, finish up.

[15:16] LOUISE HAMILTON: I just said absolutely. If we could wear one of her crowns.

[15:20] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Yes, one of her crowns. Beautifully, always beautifully adorned. I always look forward to her in church. When you think of David T. Washington, David T. Howard or Washington High School, where, where did you attend school and how did the education in those schools look at that time when you were a child, what was education like being educated in Atlanta?

[15:48] LOUISE HAMILTON: When I grew up in elementary school, it was Yonge Street School, then changed to HR Butler Elementary School. And I, after graduating from elementary school, I went to David T. Howard High School. At that time, 1957, when I first went to David T. Howard, Howard Howard was not the only black school. There was Washington High, Archer High, Price High, and Turner High School. When my mom was growing up, however, David T. Howard High, I mean, David T. Howard was a junior high school. Both she and doctor King junior attended there and had to go to high school at Booker T. Washington High School because it was the only black high school at the time. But in 57, when I graduated elementary school, I went to David T. Howard High School. And there is where I graduated the year 1962, 2nd in my class.

[16:58] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Amen. Amen. Where did you end up going to college and how were you exposed and how did the black church play a role in the making sure you were going to college?

[17:11] LOUISE HAMILTON: I attended Clark Atlanta University. Christine played a major role in encouraging us to go to college, go to Spelman, preferably. But I chose Clark Atlanta, where she was. She was a professor at Spelman for many, many years. And I hear that she was the longest living professor at Spelman.

[17:36] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Absolutely.

[17:36] LOUISE HAMILTON: I love Clark. All of my friends were going to Clark, so of course I had to go to Clark Atlanta University. Daddy King also insisted on education. Continue. Learn all you can while you can. And we just, it was just second nature for us to take that next step in our education. And that is going on to college.

[18:00] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Yes. Doctor Christine King Faris was one of my professors when I was at Spelman. And you're right, she does hold the record of the longest number of years of tenure. And that's five decades. Over five decades, I don't know, 54, 55. But definitely she holds that esteemed record. When you think about the neighborhoods when you were growing up in the sixties, would you say sixties, seventies. That's when you were growing up.

[18:32] LOUISE HAMILTON: Fifties, fifties, fifties, fifties.

[18:36] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Okay. When you think about the fifties, what stands out as progress and the role that Ebenezer played in that progress, what stands out to you as a pivotal moment that when you think back, it was definitely progress. And Ebenezer played a role.

[18:59] LOUISE HAMILTON: Absolutely. We grew up. I grew up in the Grady homes project and then moved to a house right across the street from the church. But what was most unique about Ebenezer is that at the time, they had what they call wards, where each home was assigned a ward. I imagine it was a group of streets, from what I understand. And a deacon was assigned to that particular ward. And they would keep in contact with the people in their ward. And it was just like one big happy family or one big tree with a lot of branches. And the branches were the wards, and Ebenezer was the main trunk, the main part of the tree, where we would all come together on Sunday and learn more and worship God.

[19:57] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: You play a pivotal role now, given the influence that Ebenezer has had on you in making sure that Ebenezer's history is shared with millions who come to the old fourth ward through the National Park Service, I hope that you will have a chance to just share the. Why did you choose to share more history by first living it and now making sure others understand it? Why is that important to you?

[20:32] LOUISE HAMILTON: It's important to me because people need to know, and they need to hear it from people who have experienced it. I have to thank Benjamin Ridgway, who introduced me to the National Park Service Trails and Rails program, where we would go from Atlanta to New Orleans, talking about historic sites along the way. But then that program changed, and Mickey Goodson at the National Park Service asked if I would work in the birth home or volunteer in the birth home. And I gladly accepted that responsibility because just being there brought back so many memories of when we would go to the home. Sometimes I would babysit at the home, but it was almost like a second nature place for me because my grandmother, Melissa Atwater, often would take care of Daddy King's preaching church. So often I was there to deliver the shirts to him and just be sure that all was well. Our families were very, very close, and having the opportunity to share my knowledge with whoever comes through that home gave me quite much, much joy. And I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to do that. Anytime that I can talk about your.

[22:06] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Grandmother, Melissa Atwater, a little bit about her.

[22:12] LOUISE HAMILTON: She was my heart. She lived with us from birth until her death. She loved people. She loved to cook. She loved to wash and iron. Therefore, that's why daddy King chose her to take care of his laundry. She was active at Ebenezer on the mother's board, and my mother just fell right in doing what she did. We were always at Ebenezer. And mama, as I call my grandmother, was an integral part. And our being there and learning the ways of Christ.

[22:53] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Amen. Amen. What a legacy of being able to have such a rich history. Your birthday is in the month of June. We don't have to say the actual date, but I think given what I've began to talk about, maybe our listeners may figure it out, but there's something significant in Ebenezer's history that coincides with your birth date. Walk us through that day. That Sunday.

[23:25] LOUISE HAMILTON: On that Sunday morning, my mom had come by to pick up my three children because she wanted them to be at Sunday school. And I was moving a little slower than she was comfortable with. So she came on by and got my kids and took them to church. But I started getting ready to go because my usher board, the Marie Hunter Usher board was ushering that day. But before I could leave the house, I received a phone call from a friend of mine to tell me that there had been a shooting church. But my children were fine. But Mama King, as she was affectionately called, was fatally wounded while she played the organ, as well as a deacon, Deacon Edward Boykin. And both of them were on the side of the church where my usher duty, my usher door duty was scheduled to be. There was another member sitting in the congregation on that same side. Misses Jimmy Mitchell, who was wounded, but she survived. And from what I understand, the shooter was tackled in the choir loft right behind the pulpit by Alfred King, who was ad king's oldest son.

[24:35] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: But that's also for the sake of the history that we have been shared, that for the sake of history shared with us. Mama King's actual pronouncement of her fatal shooting was not made inside the church, but was made at the hospital. So we won't necessarily place her inside the sanctuary, but that certainly is where she was wounded by the government. So given the. What we know about history. So that day, June 30, 1974, at that time, I believe you're about 30 years old. Is that correct?

[25:12] LOUISE HAMILTON: Exactly, yes, you're 30 years old.

[25:15] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: What goes through your head on that day when you think about Ebenezer and how we survive such an incident? How did we make it? How do you think Ebenezer survived such a day? And certainly those most close to the incident, Daddy King and Mama King, her children. How did Ebenezer survive? And what was going through the minds of members? How did they make it?

[25:47] LOUISE HAMILTON: Fear and uncertainty went through the minds of not only myself, but all of the members, but Daddy King, Martin Luther King Sr. Led us in faith, and he taught us to be thankful for what we have left and to love unconditionally.

[26:12] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: I have often heard given quotes or quotable quotes by Daddy King. Be thankful for what you have left. What was really packed into those few words? Be thankful for what you have left. After his soulmate is now among the ancestors. So where do you think Ebenezer picked up? What God was it that gave our church the faith and the fortitude and the strength to say, we will get up from this?

[26:49] LOUISE HAMILTON: In 74, Daddy King had lost his sons, both MLK Jr. and Ad. And now in 74, his wife looking at him and his strong strength and faith gave us all we needed to emulate him and to know that it isn't over. We have something left.

[27:16] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: It isn't over.

[27:20] LOUISE HAMILTON: That's what we have to be thankful for.

[27:25] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: I like what you said. It isn't over. We have something left. So let's segue back to Sarah Atwater Reid, your mother. What, what do you think is your mother's legacy at Ebenezer? What's her legacy?

[27:53] LOUISE HAMILTON: Her legacy is her faithfulness and her love for Ebenezer and every single person that came through there. Her note taking, her remembrances of their special days and just her quiet spirit is her legacy. She cannot be duplicated. I can only pray that my love for people will almost touch what she had. But her spirit is her legacy, because it was felt I by anyone who came through Ebenezer. And she shared her love unconditionally with everybody.

[28:52] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: The pastor who followed Daddy King is Reverend Doctor Joseph Lawrence Roberts Junior, who served for 30 years. What do you recall about Pastor Joe, as we called him? What is your memory of Pastor Joe?

[29:15] LOUISE HAMILTON: Pastor Joe was a true pastor. He was walking into very big shoes coming behind Daddy King, even though there was Reverend Otis Moss in between the two. But Pastor Joe came and he implemented a lot of programs that Ebenezer needed. But he also kept the family spirit and the family love that Daddy King had insisted that we had at Ebenezer. Also, he helped with the music program, with the pipe organ that we had. I think he had some changes made to get a new pipe organ to enhance the music that was already exceptional. But he just made sure that the music and the instruments that were used were at their best.

[30:21] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: How did you introduce your children to Christ? How did you introduce them to Christ? Or was it your grandmother or your mother?

[30:32] LOUISE HAMILTON: Well, there was really no introduction. It was almost like the church was a second home. You just went. There was no question as to whether or not you would like to go to church. It was a statement, we are going to church this morning. And they saw both my mom and they saw me active in the church. So it was just second nature to them to be active. I think it was when I was Women's Day chairperson several. Several years ago that they realized how important it was to be active and to understand that being a peer member just won't get it. You've got to do more than just sit in the pew.

[31:22] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: But for so long, though, the church has been at the center of helping communities restore themselves. How does Ebenezer give hope? Not only to those who sit in the pews or have church beyond the walls, but how is Ebenezer the stone of hope to a global community and world?

[31:51] LOUISE HAMILTON: Ebenezer is a stone of hope, because Ebenezer is in the community. Ebenezer is involved with people. Ebenezer is beyond the brick walls that are there. There's several. Several opportunities to do more in the community that Ebenezer offers. And it has always been that way. And it will always be that way, I do believe.

[32:25] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: But how can you do more? When you say we can do more, how can the church do more? What do you mean by that? We are doing a lot. I mean, some would say Ebenezer. Ebenezer is a part of everything. But what do you mean by do more?

[32:43] LOUISE HAMILTON: Just to be sure, especially the young children, the younger people who are in the neighborhood have an opportunity to come to Ebenezer at one time, during vacation Bible school in the summer, children were picked up from all over the neighborhood to come to Ebenezer to vacation Bible school. And I know with COVID that may be challenging now, but making the only thing more that we can do is just to make sure that the young people, the children, are brought into the church. They may not have an opportunity to be driven there, make arrangements to get the children to the church so that they could see and learn and know that there is hope.

[33:36] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: There is hope, because without hope, it could really be depressing out here. Given all that we see and all that we hear, given this time, let's look a little bit as we began to bring our conversation to our final thoughts here. When you think of Ebenezer's rich history, how does music stand out in our rich history? And I think we've talked about it, but some of the songs that may stand out to you, are there any songs when you think, oh, this is what Ebenezer reminds me of. I'm curious of whether you have some songs that stand out to you.

[34:22] LOUISE HAMILTON: There are so many in the rich history, the music history of Ebenezer, blessed assurance is at the top of the list. How great thou art. Thou art.

[34:37] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Amen.

[34:42] LOUISE HAMILTON: It's just so many. Oh, there's one that my mom. It is well. It is well with my soul, with one of my mom's favorites. Yeah. And peace be still. Peace, be still is another. So it's just really, really good to know that you can come into the sanctuary of Ebenezer and just be filled with the musical spirit that will actually fill your tank for the week as it goes into a service station. You will be filled at least for a week to make it through the troublesome times that we have.

[35:24] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Speaking of filling your tank during the week, Ebenezer, over the years, and certainly in the last, I would say for sure in the last two decades, revival has been a part of the black church's experience. What do you recall about the revivals at Ebenezer, as far as filling your tank and getting revived again?

[35:50] LOUISE HAMILTON: Oh, absolutely. Reverend Charles Adams comes to mind from Detroit, Michigan, who would come every year for revival, and he would literally upset, set the church with the spirit of God running up and down the aisles, across the pulpit. And when you left, by the time, by the end of the week, if you were not revived, you had to have been dead because he would put so much energy into his messages. You had to be. You had to be revived. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[36:27] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Well, I certainly had a chance to hear the Reverend Charles Adams had several of those revivals in the last two decades. So he certainly, I would say last maybe decade, given that we have a new. A new administration. But definitely Charles Adams is at the very top. Well, Doctor Luis, let's come to. I want to get your reaction to something that Doctor King stated, and we have about four minutes to wrap up here. Doctor King was in Chicago when he stated this. We have also come here today to remind Chicago of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. And then he goes on. What did doctor King mean in stating those words? This was in 1966. How old were you at that time?

[37:41] LOUISE HAMILTON: Oh, my goodness. 19, 66. 22 years old.

[37:46] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: 22. So you're fresh out of Clark Atlanta University or Clark College?

[37:52] LOUISE HAMILTON: Yeah. Yes. Yes, at the time.

[37:56] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Okay, go ahead.

[37:58] LOUISE HAMILTON: I'm sorry. At that particular time, it did not mean very much to me, but listening to the words today and in today's time, it again. It gives us hope that democracy is possible.

[38:16] CONNIE SMITH LINDSAY: Democracy is necessary. So as we close out, let us be clear. The reason we talk about the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, founded in 1886. From heritage to Horizon heritage celebrates 100 years, having been established in 1922 and then the horizon having been built and doors opened in March of 1999. 136 years God has kept us. And the reason it's important for us to know the history, to share the history, and to understand the history, is so that we can get back up, that we can take our stories, our faith in Jesus Christ, our mission to be social transformation, living in the word and carrying out the witness of Jesus Christ, that we can do those things with the understanding that we are America's freedom church. So as America's freedom church. Louise, thank you so much for sharing with our audiences today. May your story and may the memories of Melissa Atwater and Sarah Atwater read. And may the legacy and the trees and the branches and everything that they instilled in you and you are still instilling in others. May others find that you represent the stone of hope. Thank you for being with me today and I have enjoyed our talk.

[39:48] LOUISE HAMILTON: Thank you for the opportunity.