During a retirement celebration for Judy Forte on Feb. 24, several people had a hard time mouthing the word “retired.”
Forte, superintendent of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park for the last 17 years, retired earlier this year after working for the federal government for 47 years.
But to members and associates of the King family, Forte’s service meant much more.
“Judy was a Godsend,” said Isaac Farris Jr., a nephew of Martin Luther King Jr. and a former CEO of the King Center. “There had developed a terrible breach between the King Center, the Park Service and the federal government.
In fact, at one point, the King Center wanted to break all ties with the National Park Service.
“Judy came with the right spirit, the right sensitivity. Judy always looked for a way, an alternative way, to make it work,” Farris said during a celebration at Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Robert’s Fellowship Hall. “I don’t know if we would have felt comfortable turning over the Birth home and the Life home if it were not for Judy. She showed the federal government how to relate to us.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Eric Tidwell, general counsel of the King Estate, as well as Bernice King, CEO of the King Center.
“Judy, being a Southern girl, she was the perfect person to manage this park,” Tidwell said.
When she went up to speak, Bernice King said Forte deserved more than the celebration at Ebenezer.
“Isaac and Eric said – it had to be you,” Bernice King said. “Everything you did before you got here was in preparation. [You were] the bridge, the repairer of the bridge. You were the person we needed. You understood the true power of leadership. The beauty is that you wipe the slate clean and put us on the right path.”
Bernice actually acknowledged she had been hesitant to sell the King home on Sunset Avenue to the park service.
“I was of the problem,” she said. “I wasn’t ready to let go. It was hard thinking about letting our home go. It’s because of you. I trusted you.”
During her tenure as superintendent, Forte helped guide the restoration of the historic Ebenezer sanctuary, managed the King birth home on Auburn Avenue, personally delivered King’s Bible to Washington, D.C., so it could be used by President Barack Obama during his second inauguration, negotiated the acquisition of the King home on Sunset and worked with the King Center on countless milestones, anniversaries and celebrations.
Forte, a native of Phenix City, Ala., was overcome with emotion during her retirement celebration.
“Wow! God had a plan for me,” Forte said. “Who could imagine a little Black girl would become a national park ranger and become the first Black woman superintendent of one of the most treasured parks of the National Park Service.”
And then, speaking directly to Bernice King, Forte said their partnership had a clear sense of purpose.
“It was a trifecta. It was unique — a nonprofit — the King Center, a religious organization – Ebenezer, and the U.S. government. It’s so unusual for them to work together to celebrate in this place. We had a shared vision — creating the beloved community — separately in our own way, but we did it together.”
Bernice King said when Forte first started telling her she was going to retire she told her she was not going to let her go, and that she needed Forte to stay in place through MLK’s 100th birthday celebration in 2029.
Forte told her she wanted to spend more time with her family — her mother, her husband, her children and her grandchildren.
But Farris promised that Forte would continue to be involved.
“We can’t just totally let you go,” Farris said. “We will still need you, your love, your guidance and your counsel.”
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