In the heart of Atlanta, Georgia, where the hum of the city blended with the melodies of Southern life, stood WERD Radio Station. Its walls, steeped in the history of jazz and gospel, were about to witness a moment that would echo through time. The date was August 28, 1963, and the air was thick with anticipation.
Inside WERD, two figures stood out against the backdrop of dials, microphones, and reel-to-reel tape recorders. The first was Ella Mae Johnson, the station’s seasoned director, known for her sharp eye and sharper wit. A woman of color in a field dominated by men, she had a story etched in every wrinkle, a testament to her unyielding spirit.
Beside her was young Thomas Booker, a recent Morehouse College graduate and an aspiring radio journalist. With the eagerness of youth and a notebook always at hand, Thomas dreamed of making waves in the world of broadcasting.
On this significant day, WERD was to broadcast Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, live from the March on Washington. The significance wasn’t lost on Ella Mae. She remembered the days when such an event wouldn’t have found airtime, let alone on a station like WERD, known for its jazz and R&B but rarely for political discourse.
“You ready, Thomas?” Ella Mae asked, her voice steady yet tinged with emotion.
“As I’ll ever be, Miss Johnson,” Thomas replied, his hand hovering over the switch that would connect their small station to the historic event.
The clock struck the hour, and Thomas flipped the switch. Dr. King’s voice, resonant and powerful, filled the room. Outside, the streets of Atlanta seemed to stand still, as if the city itself was listening.
Down on Auburn Avenue, the heart of African American business and culture in Atlanta, people gathered around every available radio. In Ivan Allen Jr.’s office, the Mayor of Atlanta, a radio crackled with Dr. King’s words, a testament to the changing times even within corridors of power.
As Dr. King spoke of dreams and freedom, Ella Mae watched Thomas. He was transcribing every word, a look of awe and determination on his face. She knew then that this was more than a broadcast for him; it was a call to action.
Once the speech concluded, and the airwaves returned to normal, Thomas turned to Ella Mae. “What now?” he asked.
“Now, we keep talking,” she said. “We keep sharing these stories. This isn’t the end, Thomas. It’s just the beginning.”
In the days that followed, WERD became more than just a music station. It became a beacon for the civil rights movement in Atlanta. Ella Mae, with Thomas by her side, hosted discussions, shared stories, and gave a voice to those who had been voiceless for too long.
Through the narrow corridors of WERD, history had whispered, leaving its mark on two lives intertwined with the quest for equality. In a time of change, a small radio station and its dedicated staff had not just broadcast a speech; they had amplified a movement, proving that sometimes the most significant revolutions begin with the simplest of acts: the turn of a dial, the voice of a dream.