Goler Metropolitan AME Zion to celebrate 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s visit
On April 13, 1964, just a year after his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made a stop in Winston-Salem. On that day Dr. King spoke to more than 1,000 people who managed to make it inside Goler Metropolitan AME Zion Church.
The focus of King’s speech was the importance of voting and the need to keep protests peaceful.
A marker located outside the church commemorates that day.
In 2021, just before the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, The Chronicle spoke with Velma Hopkins and Rahman Wilson who remember the day King came to town. Hopkins, who was known for her role in organizing a strike against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the 1940s, said King was humble and treated everyone he met that day with respect.
“I remember he was a down-to-earth man. And he kept everyone’s feet in the grass. He wasn’t a man who was big on I’s and little on U’s,” Hopkins continued. “I think Dr. King did a beautiful job. He was a God-sent man. And whatever happens, he will always be Dr. Martin Luther King.”
Wilson, who was only 14 at the time, didn’t make it inside the church, but said he remembers how excited people were that day. Wilson said they didn’t have a radio at the time, but they waited eagerly for their mother to return and tell them all about it.
“When you think about it, Winston-Salem was really on the map when it came to civil rights, but I felt like when Dr. King came, the spirit of the people really came alive,” Wilson said.
In recognition of the 60th anniversary of that historic day, on Sunday, April 13, at 11 a.m., Goler Metropolitan AME Zion Church, 1435 4th St., will be holding a special ceremony. During the ceremony there will be remarks from others like Hopkins and Wilson who were in the church that day, and recordings from Dr. King’s speech that day will also be played.
Goler Metropolitan is currently in search of individuals who were in attendance during Dr. King’s visit to Winston-Salem. If you were in attendance, please contact Annette Wilson by email at aejk@aol.com or by phone at 336-473-5830.
