Cook, midwife, and activist Georgia Gilmore loved to feed hungry crowds her fried chicken sandwiches at the Holt Street Baptist Church in her hometown of Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. hosted ongoing strategy sessions there for the bus boycott. Soon, those sandwiches would save lives.
Looking for a way to raise money without arousing the suspicions of white employers and landlords who might retaliate with firings, evictions, or even murder, Gilmore formed an unlikely network of investors.
She and her co-conspirators (home cooks affectionately referred to as the Club from Nowhere) stockpiled cash generated from dinner and dessert sales to fund an alternative transportation system that improved mobility for Black residents despite the boycott. Gilmore became a target.
After testifying on behalf of King in a conspiracy trial, Gilmore lost her job at the National Lunch Company. Fortunately, after an encouraging word from King, Gilmore converted her home kitchen into a makeshift restaurant, which supported her for years.
Gilmore and the women she empowered played a crucial, yet unrecognized, role in propelling movement work forward. Nia isn’t about being seen. It’s about knowing your role and living it to the fullest. Purpose is found in whatever we do with commitment, love, and a vision for our people’s future.