Abernathy, Juanita – Civil Rights Fighter!

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Juanita Abernathy – A Strong Woman
By
John C Abercrombie

One of the events that comes to mind when the discussion turns to Civil Rights is the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Leaders of the movement Martin Luther King, Jr and Ralph David Abernathy instantly come to mind, but one of the strongest stalwarts of the boycott, working in the shadows was Juanita Abernathy. A tireless worker.

Segregation as practiced in much of the United States required Blacks to sit in segregated sections of the bus. These practices required Blacks to sit in the back of the bus, no Black could sit in front of any White person. Therefore, a bus could have empty seats, but Blacks were required to stay behind all White passengers and remain crowded and standing in the back.

Blacks were not permitted to sit on the same row as a White person. In Montgomery, it had been negotiated for some reserved seating. Rosa Parks was sitting in the segregated section, but demanded by the bus driver to get up, which she refused to do. Parks was arrested and this resulted in a boycott of the Montgomery Buses.

A boycott that was intended to last one day was extremely successful, but the stubbornness of the bus company extended the boycott to 381 days and successful desegregation of the Montgomery bus system.

No Blacks rode the bus the first day and with the stubbornness of the bus company, the boycott was extended, but Blacks had to rely on public transportation since most did not own cars. They had to get to work however and one of the masterminds behind arranging for those people with cars to help was the providence of Juanita Abernathy and others. Juanita Abernathy developed a business plan for the boycott which became a model for the Civil Rights movement.

Juanita Abernathy was in danger for her and her husband’s work. Bombings of churches and residences were undertaken by White Supremacists. At one time, while she was pregnant, the family home was bombed.

While the demonstrators during the Civil Rights era were nonviolent, this did not prevent violence from being perpetrated on the demonstrators. When violence erupted against the demonstrators, law enforcement was slow to respond, if they responded at all. Law enforcement would often attack the demonstrators with Billy clubs or even attack dogs. Firefighters would be enlisted to attack demonstrators with high pressure fire hoses, indiscriminately targeting women and children.

The family was subjected to daily death threats, intimidating and vulgar phone calls, yet the family continued to engage in mass meetings and voter education. The family including Juanita marched in Washington, fought for integration of public-school systems as well as other related causes. They marched from Selma to Montgomery.

As a strong supporter of Civil Rights and being married to a leader of the movement, she often had leaders at their home. Martin Luther King, Jr and United States Representative John Lewis for example were frequent visitors.
Born in Uniontown, Alabama as Juanita Odessa Jones, December 1, 1931 to Ella and Alexander Jones. She was the youngest of 8 children. Her parents were successful farmers, raising dairy, beef and cotton.

Her parents passed the belief in education to their children. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education from Tennessee State University.

Her business skills yielded success in several entrepreneurial ventures, including a Senior Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics.

While many people are familiar with the name of her husband, Dr Ralph David Abernathy, Juanita Abernathy was a dynamic force in her own wright!

The following resources of Books and Videos will give you a deeper look into the life and work of this amazing fighter of Civil Rights for All.

Tribute to Juanita Abernathy

Tribute to the Struggle for Civil Rights

In earlier days there were often separate organizations, such as teachers’ organizations because Blacks were not welcomed into the White organizations.

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel pays tribute to the ongoing struggle for civil rights at NEA’s annual Human and Civil Rights Gala in Washington, DC. The Tribute includes Juanita Abernathy, Ralph Abernathy’s widow, reminiscing about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a tribute to Trayvon Martin and a live performance of the Sam Cook song, “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

This is an autobiography of Dr Ralph David Abernathy – Civil Rights icon and the husband of Juanita Abernathy

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: An Autobiography (Dr Ralph David Abernathy)

ABH – And The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Hair Care For Black Women

ABH – Hair Care for Black Women

Head of BCRI remembers Civil Rights icon Juanita Abernathy

Skin Care For Black Women

ABH – Skin Care for Black Women

Daughter of Civil Rights movement:

Donzaleigh Abernathy
Donzaleigh Abernathy grew up on the front lines of the civil rights marches and boycotts that forever changed American history. Her father was the late Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, a 1960s influential civil rights activist and the best friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Vitamins and Supplements For Women

ABH – Vitamins and Supplements For women

RAW VIDEO: Juanita Abernathy talks about Montgomery bus boycotts

Juanita Abernathy came of age as a civil rights icon right at the dawn of the modern movement. She was the young wife of Rev. Abernathy, who was a pastoring a church in Montgomery.

Hemp Products For Pain Relief

ABH – Hemp Products for Pain Relief

Who was Dr. Ralph David Abernathy?

NEA’s MLK Award to Dr. Ralph Abernathy (Posthumously)
The Reverend Dr. Ralph David Abernathy is one of the great civil rights leaders of all time. He worked tirelessly to set our country on the right path. On July 1st at NEA’s annual Human and Civil Right Awards Gala he was posthumously presented the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Award. It was accepted on his behalf by his wife, Juanita Abernathy.