MLK Beloved Community Celebrated with A Waddie Welcome Reading on 1/15

The winter weather foiled plans for people in communities across Georgia this week. One event “casualty” was the reading in the new city of Milton of “Waddie Welcome and The Beloved Community.” It tells the story of friendships that transcended divisions of disability, race, and income and created powerful new possibilities as a whole community.

Reading and reflecting on the story of Mr. Welcome and his friends would have been an ideal part of the celebration of Martin Luther King Day in the new city of Milton; but the reading was canceled due to Georgia’s unprecedented winter weather. Good news: there are other chances! In fact, there’s one on Saturday. (details below)

Waddie Welcome was born in 1914 in Savannah with a disability that caused those around him to send him to a far-away nursing home. The thinking of those times was that, by sending him away, he could get proper care. We know now that’s wrong. Mr. Welcome’s deep desire for freedom drew many friends into his life in ways that not only freed him from institutionalization but allowed him to realize and really live Dr. King’s vision of the “Beloved Community.”

Former president Jimmy Carter called the book “a modern day parable from which we can all learn.”

We at GCDD think the book is a testimony to what we can do when the community rallies together. It’s exactly the type of “happy ending” story we advocate and are providing the framework for with our Real Communities focus and initiatives. GCDD and numerous partners across Georgia and the nation are committed to developing beloved communities that are enriched by the diverseness of all shapes, colors, sizes and abilities. These very communities were modeled by Waddie Welcome and his friends. The research is clear and, thanks to the recent and exciting developments, we are catching fire and gaining speed. The Olmstead Decision has recently been enforced by the DOJ settlement, mandating a timeline for changes in the disability community. A recent grant of national significance has been awarded to GCDD to develop our Real Communities initiative throughout the state.

To that end, one of our focus communities and organizations, the Community Action Pioneers (CAP) in Gwinnett County, will host another Waddie Welcome reading this Saturday, January 15 at 3pm at the Suwanee Public Library. We hope you’ll join us for this reading of “Waddie Welcome and the Beloved Community.” See you there.

Read more about Waddie Welcome and the Beloved Communities celebrations in the Winter 2011 edition of Making A Difference.