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Donzaleigh Abernathy

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Donzaleigh Abernathy
Abernathy speaking at the Virginia Military Institute in 2003
BornAugust 5, 1957 (1957-08-05) (age 67)
Alma materEmerson College
Occupation(s)Actress, author, civil rights activist
Years active1990–present
Parent(s)Ralph Abernathy
Juanita Abernathy

Donzaleigh Abernathy (born August 5, 1957) is an American actress, author and civil rights activist.[1][2][3]

Early life

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Abernathy’s mother was pregnant with her when her parents’ home was bombed in the pre-dawn hours of January 10, 1957 after the successful close of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Abernathy was born in the segregated St. Jude’s Hospital Montgomery, Alabama and lived there through the “Freedom Riders” movement. In 1962, at the request of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., her family moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she grew up. There, her father, Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, Sr. continued his work co-leading the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. King. In 1965, after participating in “The Selma to Montgomery March for the Right To Vote,” the Abernathy children, along with the King children integrated Spring Street Elementary School and began mass integration of public schools in the South. Abernathy briefly attended the Northside High School for the Performing Arts, before attending and graduating from George School, a Quaker Prep School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.[4]

Her father was Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy, a co-founder and co-leader of the American civil rights movement, and her mother was the life long civil rights activist Juanita Jones Abernathy.[5] She, her sister Juandalynn and brother Ralph David III joined their parents on all the major civil rights marches and witnessed first-hand many significant events of the Civil Rights movement.[6] Her family was very close to that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, a prominent leader of the Civil Rights movement. The Abernathy and King children went to school together, performed extracurricular activities together, spent Saturday and Sunday dinners together, as well as spent vacations and holidays together. According to Ms. Abernathy herself, children from both families would hold performances for their parents and their childhood acting teacher Mr. Walter Roberts, the father of movie stars Julia Roberts and Eric Roberts, on these occasions with Yolanda King, one of King's daughters, acting as the director and Dr. King filming their performances. Abernathy has stated "that's really when [she] started acting."[7] She is married to actor/producer Dar Dixon.[2]

Career

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After graduating from Emerson College in Boston, Abernathy moved to New York. She landed her first job after auditioning for a role with the Off Off Broadway production and worked for the Production Designer Eugene Lee and Costume Designer Franne Lee of “Saturday Night Live.” She played Lady in Orange in the Alliance Theater’s Southeastern Equity Tour of “For Colored Girls” and Iris in the Alliance Theater’s “Antony and Cleopatra“ with Jane Alexander and Ed Moore.[7] Since then, Ms. Abernathy has played roles in many movies and television movies, such as Mrs. Don King in the Award Winning HBO Drama “Don King, Only in America.” In the historical Civil War drama Gods and Generals, she portrays the slave, Martha. Although the film itself was not critically well-received, Abernathy was praised for her part by film critic Roger Ebert. Another reviewer stated that "Abernathy's image of Martha combines strength with glamour." She starred for four years as a series regular on Lifetime's Any Day Now. Born in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement after her parents’ home was bombed, Ms. Abernathy’s life has been dedicated to civil and human rights.[8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1994 Camp Nowhere Dorothy Welton
1995 Night of the Running Man Francine
1995 Lone Justice 2 Effie Petit
2003 Gods and Generals Martha
2003 Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood Esmeralda Video
2006 Grilled Karen
2015 Fingerprints Delphine Frost
2016 Sleight Mary
2016 59 Seconds Katherine
2020 The Industry Did It Aunt Urtha Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1990 Murder in Mississippi Sue TV film
1990, 1992 L.A. Law Jenny Manley, Naomi Episodes: "Watts a Matter?", "Silence of the Lambskins"
1992 Grass Roots Cora Mae Turner TV film
1993 Sirens Mariah Henry Episode: "Strike Two"
1993 Bodies of Evidence Clarissa Watson Episode: "Endangered Species"
1993 Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life Effie Pettit Episode: "Return to Plum Creek"
1994 NYPD Blue Mrs. Danton Episode: "Guns 'n Rosaries"
1994 Family Album Lorrie TV miniseries
1995 Amazing Grace D.A. Goodwin Episode: "Family Values"
1995 Cagney & Lacey: Together Again Alcina Lewis TV film
1996 Dangerous Minds Irene Timmons Episodes: "Pilot", "Family Ties", "Need Deep"
1997 Miss Evers' Boys Betty TV film
1997 EZ Streets Patricia Wyler Episodes: "St. Jude Took a Bullet", "One Acquainted with the Night"
1997 The Burning Zone Nora Dawson Episode: "Wild Fire"
1997 Don King: Only in America Henrietta King TV film
1998 The Pretender Susan Healy Episode: "Hazards"
1998 Chicago Hope Porschia Tate Episode: "Absent Without Leave"
1998 The Tempest Mambo Azaleigh TV film
1998–2002 Any Day Now Sara Jackson Main role
1999 The Sky's On Fire Dr. Hellstrom TV film
2002 Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story Narrator TV film
2003 24 Barbara Maccabee Episodes: "Day 2: 5:00p.m.-6:00pm", "Day 2: 6:00pm-7:00pm"
2004 Judging Amy Denise Lawrence Episode: "Conditional Surrender"
2005–2006 Commander in Chief Patricia Recurring role (season 1)
2006 House Brady Episode: "Skin Deep"
2008 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Carolina Bell Episode: "For Gedda"
2008–2009 Lincoln Heights Hazel Glass Episodes: "The Price You Pay", "Lucky"
2012–2013 The Walking Dead Dr. Stevens Episodes: "Walk with Me", "Made to Suffer", "The Suicide King"
2013 Shameless Tawny Episode: "Civil Wrongs"
2015 Father Pete's Corner The Fairy TV series
2016 Suits Gloria Danner Episodes: "Tick Tock", "25th Hour"
2016 Shooter Mrs. Fenn Episodes: "Exfil", "Overwatch"
2017 Chicago P.D. Jeanette Barnes Episode: "Don't Read the News"
2019 Words & Actions Monica Henderson Episode: "Man Delights Not Me, Nor Woman Neither"
2021 NCIS NSA Deputy Director Ellis Episode: “Rule 91”
2022 Good Sam Carla Episode: “A Light in the Storm”
2022 All Rise Ness’ Mother Episode: “Unwanted Guest”
2022 9-1-1 Joanne Kingston Episode: ”The Devil You Know”

Books

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The 2001 Smithsonian Institution's book of essays, In the spirit of Martin: the living legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Donzaleigh Abernathy was one of the contributing authors.[9] In 2004, she authored the book Partners To History - Martin Luther King, Ralph David Abernathy and the Civil Rights Movement, in honor of her parents. The book was nominated by the American Library Association as one of the “Best Books for Young Adults,” 2003.[10][5]

Bibliography

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  • Partners to History: Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and the Civil Rights Movement (Crown, 2003) ISBN 978-0-609-60914-9
  • In the spirit of Martin: the living legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Tinwood Books, 2002) ISBN 978-0965376655

References

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  1. ^ "Donzaleigh Abernathy: A Connection with Martin Luther King Jr". Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Donzaleigh Abernathy". National Action Network Annual Convention. Archived from the original on February 9, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  3. ^ "Donzaleigh Abernathy". Museum of Social Justice | Los Angeles. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  4. ^ "Georgian Available Online - George School". George School. December 14, 2015. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Donzaleigh Abernathy, one of MLK's Goddaughters, Reveals Memories from 'Thrilling' Civil Rights Movement". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Donzaleigh Abernathy". Literature Resource Center. 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Ralph Abernathy's daughter, Donzaleigh, gets role in TV western drama, 'Ned Blessing'". Jet Magazine. 84: 38–39. August 23, 1993.
  8. ^ Pryce, Vinette K. (February 13, 2003). "Civil rights daughter fights civil war for 'Gods and Generals'". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "Catalog: In the spirit of Martin : the living legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr". Ann Arbor District Library. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  10. ^ Partners to history : Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and the Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved July 5, 2017 – via Toronto Public Library.
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