Statue of Carter on the grounds of the Carter Center. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The entrance of the theater on the grounds of The Carter Center was packed early Tuesday morning. Dozens of people were dressed in suits and ties, dresses, and skirts for what was going to be a very special day. The Carter Center, and for that matter the entire state of Georgia, is celebrating the 100th birthday of former United States President and Georgia native Jimmy Carter. But that wasn’t what the people were crowded outside of the theater for. They were there for a naturalization ceremony scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. with a voter registration to follow. What better way to celebrate Carter’s century on Earth and decades as a humanitarian than to have newly decorated American citizens registering to vote. The last day to register to vote in Georgia is Oct. 7.
The Atlanta Voice asked Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander what it means to have Carter, who has been in hospice for months, live to turn 100 years old? She said, “He has such an amazing legacy and the fact that he has spent a centennial now, giving back to the American public and giving back to the world is something we are so proud of.”
The Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander outside of The Carter Center theater on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
For Georgia, Carter remains an example of a leader and hometown hero similar to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Congressman John Lewis, and Major League Baseball legend Hank Aaron.
“He’s our hometown guy, so to know he gave in public service to the state, to the country, and then spent 4 0 years giving to the world is a legacy that we all wish we could have,” Alexander said of Carter’s legacy.
The Carter Center library is just $1 (100 cents) to enter today in honor of Carter’s birthday. There is also a digital
The idea that you can see how a small-town boy in Plains, Georgia became President of the United States and a global humanitarian is a trajectory that is really exciting,” Alexander said.
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation hosted a special bus unveiling and voter registration drive honoring late Civil Rights icon and MARTA advocate Congressman John Lewis and his wife Lillian Miles Lewis at College Park Station.
Throughout his life, Congressman Lewis was a tireless advocate for voting rights. In 1965, he helped organize voter registration efforts in Selma and was one of the Civil Rights leaders in attendance when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. Congressman Lewis’s work advancing voting rights continued throughout his political career until his death in 2020.
As long-time community leaders and activists in Atlanta, he and his wife, Lillian Miles, understood the significant role public transportation plays in providing opportunity for all. On MARTA’s 30th anniversary, Congressman Lewis said, “MARTA is a shining example of what can be done. We wouldn’t be the capital of the American South if we had not had MARTA.”
Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Additionally, Congressman Lewis was one of the original Freedom Riders who fought to desegregate the interstate bus system, and who was a tireless advocate for MARTA.
MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood said MARTA history is Black history.
“As part of our yearlong celebration of Black history, we want to recognize the profound contributions of Congressman Lewis who championed public transit and MARTA, and fought for voters’ rights his entire life,” Greenwood said.
Greenwood also said MARTA is honoring Lewis who throughout his life advocated for public transit, voting rights, and opportunities for all people.
“Congressman Lewis was a happy warrior who dedicated himself to helping others and into making good trouble in the face of injustice and inequity. A good example of his good trouble was when he joined the original group of freedom riders who fought to desegregate the U.S Interstate Bus System,” he said. “Congressman Lewis and his wife were tireless advocates for MARTA because they understood the significant role the public transit plays in providing opportunity.
In fact, Greenwood said on MARTA’s 30th anniversary, Congressman Lewis said, “Marta is a shining example of what can be done.
“We wouldn’t be the capital of the American South if we hadn’t had MARTA,” Greenwood said.
The event is part of a year-long celebration of Black history featuring Atlanta Civil Rights icons on a series of special buses. In the past, MARTA has honored icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Juanita Jones Abernathy, and Coretta Scott King.
“These buses have given us the opportunity to celebrate the profound contributions the black community has made to our transit agency, to Atlanta and to the world. MARTA history is Black History,” he said.
Also, during the event, a voter registration drive, conducted as part of National Voter Registration Month, was held after the bus unveiling and short program.
Fulton and Clayton County Offices of Registration & Elections were on-site to conduct voter registration and education from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m.
“Lewis also spent his life advocating for voting rights, so what better way to honor him than to host a voter registration project,” Greenwood said. “There will also be events this upcoming Tuesday, Sept. 17 at seven of our railroad stations to honor national voter registration day to raise widespread awareness and promote voter registration.”
“We are excited to partner with MARTA on this special ‘John Lewis Bus’ and on the voter registration drive,” said Detria Everson, president and CEO of the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation. “Congressman Lewis was inspired by the work of Rosa Parks and others to integrate transit systems across the country. He would be proud to know that a MARTA bus with his pictures and quotes was serving constituents he represented in Congress.”
The unveiling of the bus isn’t just a bus, Everson said, but it’s a “symbol of progress and perseverance.”
The deadline for voter registration is October 7. Early voting in Georgia begins on Oct. 15 and Election Day is November 5. To register to vote or for more information, visit https://georgia.gov/register-vote. To check your voter registration status, visit https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/mvp-landing-page.
