Joseph E. Boone
Rev. Joseph Everhart Boone (September 19, 1922 – July 15, 2006) was a civil rights activist and organizer who marched together with Martin Luther King Jr.
He was a key organizer of the Atlanta Movement, which led to the integration of lunch counters and department stores in Atlanta, during the early 1960s. He worked with King, Ralph David Abernathy, John Lewis and Andrew Young, but never was recognized to the same degree they were. King named Boone as the chief negotiator of Operation Breadbasket, a program that encouraged businesses that sold to African-Americans, to employ and promote African Americans. Boone led a team of more than 200 ministers in more than 30 cities for Operation Breadbasket. Rev. Jesse Jackson took over for Boone afterwards. [1]
During his involvement with the Movement, Boone was pastor of Rush Memorial Congregational Church, a small congregation located near the Atlanta University Center complex.
In March 2008 Boone's memory was honored when Simpson Road/Street in Northwest Atlanta was renamed Joseph E. Boone Blvd. in his honor.