Atlanta, GA
Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church building up Atlanta’s Black community
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is known for being the first Black church in Atlanta.
But it doesn’t always get credit for its role in shaping the civil rights movement, Black education, social change, and even political influence.
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For over a century, Big Bethel has been lifting up Black voices when others tried to silence them.
“There wasn’t a bigger Black-held facility in the city of Atlanta than this place. Us and Wheat Street were it for Black congregations meeting over a thousand people,” said Pastor John Foster.
For the past 11 years, Pastor Foster has been a testament to the true power of what ministry can do.
“We support a halfway house for men dealing with substance abuse two blocks away. Right behind us is this 180-unit affordable housing complex called Bethel Towers that gives subsidized housing to the community,” Pastor Foster said. “We have young people that work really diligently with the homeless.”
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The work didn’t start there. Turn the page back to the late 1700s and head north to Pennsylvania where former slave Richard Allen was forbidden from praying at St. George’s Church.
Determined to worship, Allen formed the original Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. His voice eventually spread all the way to the south, leading to Atlanta’s first Methodist Episcopal Church — Bethel Tabernacle.
“During the 1960s, Big Bethel was one of the four pillars civil rights churches. It was on this strip here — Wheat Street, then Big Bethel, and then Ebenezer and Butler Street,” Pastor Foster said.
The church became the Black city hall for prominent civil rights leaders and politicians to meet.
In 1881, the church decided to establish a space for higher learning.
“Eventually we started having some classes held here at Big Bethel,” said Historian Ernest Tate. “There were other sites as well.”
Born out of the basement of Big Bethel, it would be called Morris Brown College.
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” said Morris Brown College graduate Charles Moore.
At 100 years old, Moore still remembers his time on campus after fighting in World War II. He majored in business and graduated with honors. He returned later to run business operations for the HBCU.
“I ended up staying there 15 years at Morris Brown. Could you imagine that?” Moore said.
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The walls of Big Bethel have borne witness to success stories like Brother Moore, offering a platform for Black folks to stand on.
“You have everything from the first NAACP conference in the south that was held at Big Bethel in 1920,” Tate said.
“This area just holds a great amount of pride and history about what God has done through the African-American community,” Pastor Foster said.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
Power outage impacts more than 5,000 customers in Midtown Atlanta
Thousands of people are without power in Midtown Atlanta as crews work to restore service following an equipment failure, according to Georgia Power.
The outage affected nearly 5,300 customers, stretching from Currier Street Northeast to 11th Street.
Georgia Power said the outage was caused by an equipment issue, and crews are on-site making repairs.
Officials added that, thanks to smart grid technology, service is expected to be remotely restored to more than half of affected customers soon.
An estimated restoration time was listed at 10:15 a.m.
Atlanta, GA
The Best Vintage Shops in Atlanta
Vogue’s guide to the best vintage stores in Atlanta is part of our directory of the very best vintage around the world, curated by editors from all over. Whether you’re traveling and searching for some superb stores to visit on your trip or are curious about your local vintage treasure chests, Vogue’s directory has you covered.
Come to Atlanta for its southern charm and lush greenery, stay for its vintage. The Hollywood of the South has a lot more than on-set locations and an upcoming roster of FIFA World Cup games, and whether exploring shops along the Beltline, losing your voice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, or itching for the eccentric pleasures of a roadside antique mall, these vintage gems make the journey to the A more than worth it.
Photo: Courtesy of The Clothing Warehouse
Dutch field pants, netted shirts, prairie dresses, and a floor-to-ceiling selection of cowboy boots are a few of the many goods awaiting your search at this Atlanta mainstay. Opened by Jim Buckley in 1992, the Clothing Warehouse now calls the hipster Little 5 Points home. Its redbrick exterior is hard to miss—head upstairs for womenswear and union-made dresses, then downstairs to a room of seriously color-coded tees—it’s likely you will find plenty of Atlanta history in the form of 1996 Summer Olympics shirts. Plus, its wholesale location is a 15-minute drive away in West Midtown, if you’re up for an afternoon dig.
Address: 420 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta
At the vintage and makers market Mother Lode, there’s something for every lover of old things. Founder Lindsay Short’s estate sale background is well-reflected in the shop’s range of garments, decor, and wares. Find 1930s beach pajamas beside bowling shirts and Edwardian tunics at Fellows Vintage’s booth, or ’60s wedding dresses that seem more Factory Girl than bride-to-be from Iron Pony. The hunt continues at Mother Lode’s sister location in college town Athens, which opened in 2023.
Address: 3429 Covington Hwy Ste B, Decatur
Monet Brewerton-Palmer first got her love for bridal from her grandmother, who was a shop seamstress. Then, after shopping for her own wedding dress in 2014 and ending up with four, her interest (and personal collection) only grew. Now, Brewerton-Palmer offers brides an array of dresses by Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Catherine Rayner, and more. Standout pieces include a 1959 one-of-one from Jacques Heim, a silk rose-covered Christian Dior for the romantic, and a fur-accented Muriel Martin for the nontraditionalist.
Atlanta, GA
Former Atlanta principal back at his old school as its new handyman:
Retirement did not last long for one Atlanta school principal.
After 10 years leading Burgess Peterson Academy, David White is back, and this time he’s making sure everything inside the school’s building runs smoothly.
White retired last September from being the school’s principal, but home didn’t suit him for long.
“I found myself really kind of lonely and disconnected,” White said. “I had lost my sense of community, for sure, so when this position became available, I kind of laughed because I used to say that it would be the perfect retirement job.”
White applied for the open site manager position and got the job. Now he enjoys being back in the same halls that bring him joy.
He is six weeks into the new job.
“I find myself now always looking to see if there are lights that are burned out, if there are issues that need to be addressed,” said White. “There’s always the need for touch-up painting, right? Because kids have dirty little hands, and they love to pick paint.”
During CBS News Atlanta’s visit, White was repairing a broken lightbulb in the boy’s bathroom.
“The light started flickering, like, just blinking off and on, and so of course the kids were saying it was haunted,” he said.
Around the school, his impact hasn’t faded.
Students and staff light up when they see him.
“It’s been really great to see their excitement to be here every day and to see Mr. White,” said principal Dr. Holly Brookins. “I really feel that having him back has added so much value to our community, and it’s really been a joyful thing for all of us.”
With a tool belt and new titles, White proves that no matter the role, some people never stop showing up for the places they love.
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