In this film biography of South Carolinian Dr. Benjamin Mays, Andrew Young says it this way: “If there hadn’t been a Benjamin Mays, there wouldn’t have been a Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Benjamin Mays, from Epworth, South Carolina, saw the racism and forced segregation of life around him and decided to challenge it with education and religion. Against the advice of his father, Mays pursued a formal education and rose to the top of his class, becoming Dean of Religion at Howard University, and later earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Chicago. He would become president of Morehouse College in 1940, and his influence on civil rights and education for the next three decades would reach far and wide. He met with Mahatma Gandhi, led Atlanta’s desegregation effort, and convinced Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell to (secretly) sponsor students. He was mentor and spiritual father to Martin Luther King, Jr., who credited him as his inspiration for entering the ministry. King selected Mays to give his eulogy in the event of his death, a task Mays would fulfill. Interviewees include Andrew Young, Hank Aaron, Mays’ great niece Dr. Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, and Dr. Robert Franklin, current president of Morehouse College.
Born to Rebel, Driven to Excel is part of a continuing South Carolina ETV series on inductees to the South Carolina Hall of Fame. The producer/director is Tabitha Safdi, and the executive producers are Steve Folks and Amy Shumaker.
SCETV would like to acknowledge the work of Dr. Grace Jordan McFadden, founder and director of USC's Oral History and Cultural Project and Director of African American Studies at the University. Dr. McFadden was the producer of the 25-part series "The Quest for Civil Rights: Oral Recollections of Black South Carolinians," of which archival excerpts were included in this documentary.
Closed captioning has been provided for this broadcast program.
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En esta biografía cinematográfica acerca del Dr. Benjamín Mays de Carolina del Sur, Andrew Young lo dice de esta manera: "Si no hubiera habido un Benjamín Mays, no habría habido un Martin Luther King, Jr."
Benjamín Mays, de Epworth, Carolina del Sur, vio a su alrededor el racismo y la segregación forzada en la vida de los Afroamericanos, y decidió desafiarlo con educación y religión. Contra el consejo de su padre, Mays siguió una educación formal y ascendió a la cima de su clase, convirtiéndose en Decano de Religión en la Universidad Howard, y más tarde obtuvo un Doctorado en Filosofía de la Universidad de Chicago. Se convirtió en presidente del Morehouse College en 1940, y su influencia en los Derechos Civiles y la educación durante las próximas tres décadas llegaría a cada rincón del mundo. Se reunió con Mahatma Gandhi, dirigió el esfuerzo de segregación de Atlanta y convenció a Margaret Mitchell, autora de Gone with the Wind (Lo que el viento se llevo), para patrocinar (en secreto) a los estudiantes. Fue mentor y padre espiritual de Martin Luther King, Jr., quien lo atribuyó como su inspiración para entrar en el ministerio. King seleccionó a Mays para dar su elogio en caso de su muerte, una tarea que Mays cumpliría. Los entrevistados incluyen a Andrew Young, Hank Aaron, la sobrina abuela de Mays, la Dra. Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, y el Dr. Robert Franklin, actual presidente del Morehouse College.
Born to Rebel, Driven to Excel (Nacer para Revelarse, Impulsado para Sobresalir) es parte de una continua serie de ETV de Carolina del Sur sobre los miembros del Salón de la Fama de Carolina del Sur. La productora y directora es Tabitha Safsi, y los productores ejecutivos son Steve Folks y Amy Shumaker.
SCETV desea reconocer el trabajo de la Dra. Grace Jordan McFadden, fundadora y directora del Proyecto de Historia Oral y Cultural de la USC y Directora de Estudios Afroamericanos de la Universidad. El Dr. McFadden fue el productor de la serie de 25 partes "The Quest for Civil Rights: Oral Recollections of Black South Carolinians" (La búsqueda de los Derechos Civiles: Recuerdos orales de la Historia Afroamericana), de la cual se incluyeron extractos de archivo en este documental.
Se han proporcionado subtítulos durante la transmisión de este programa.
Document
Dr. Benjamin Mays, educator, minister, and scholar, is seen as one of the most significant figures in American history. His influence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would cause America to change its...
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Dr. Benjamin Mays, educator, minister, and scholar, is seen as one of the most significant figures in American history. His influence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would cause America to change its...
Video
After graduating from Bates, Benjamin Mays held several teaching positions, teaching math, and then later, English, at South Carolina State College. From 1934-1940, Mays served as dean of religion at...
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Dr. Mays’ relationship with Martin Luther King Jr., is probably the most significant one, and King has admitted that Mays was his influence to become a minister. Since Mays did not have any boys of...
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Mays continued on with his career, meeting and advising with other world leaders. He was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to serve on the commission on civil rights, and played a role in race...
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After retiring from Morehouse College, Dr. Mays was the first African American elected to the Atlanta Board of Education. Atlanta schools were desegregated and integrated without incident. In...
