coming prepared to do one’s best but also being able to re-
spond to the emotion of the moment to inspire as well as ed-
ucate those listening to you.

That lesson was driven home to me by an experience I had

soon afterward that, in terms of trappings and glamour, was
very far from the SCLC conference. I was invited to give the
Emancipation Proclamation Day Speech on New Year’s Day
to the Telfair County (Georgia) NAACP by its president,
Alex Horne. I knew that Emancipation Proclamation Day
programs in Atlanta were a very big deal. I wanted to do my
best for Alex Horne, who also happened to be the foreman of
Herman Talmadge’s farm in McRae, Georgia, about a three-
hour drive south from Atlanta.

I wrote my speech and left Atlanta on New Year’s Eve

night to begin the long drive to McRae. I first drove to Ma-
con, eighty miles away. I rented a room at the colored motel
there for ., slept for a while, then got up and continued
on the seventy-five additional miles to McRae. I arrived at
the Horne household, where Mrs. Horne had prepared a
great meal. Mr. Horne proudly showed me the printed pro-
gram for the Emancipation Day activities. It was very elabo-
rate, with the participation of several preachers, church
choirs, and numerous laypeople. It was all due to begin at
seven o’clock that evening.

When we got to the church, fewer than ten people were

there. Alex and I were the only people listed on the program
who were present. Not one preacher. Not one choir. Not one

INTRODUCTION

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