Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday this year looked a little different this year at Horne Learning Center. Students were challenged to understand their cultural roots to better understand how King’s dream impacts their life. On teacher said, “It would be a tragedy not to teach our kids their culturally rich history.”
For example, the majority of Valdostans know that Valdosta is the winningest high school in the nation. However, few people know how progressive the late great Coach Wright Bazemore was during the integration of Valdosta High School in 1969. Prior to integration, Bazemore often watched the Black high school football practices, coached by Edward Jones and Frank Wilson (Pinevale Tigers.) He was so familiar with the players, he welcomed integration and turned his winning program into an indomitable dynasty.
The students also studied individuals like Rev. James L Lomax. Lomax was a former Valdosta City Schools principal during segregation. He is the namesake for one of the current elementary schools. Lomax is also a founding member of the Valdosta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the uncle of the late Louis Lomax, the first African-American television journalist. Louis, a good friend of both Dr. King Jr. and Malcolm X, is credited with introducing the latter to the world.