Living Through History and Preserving It for Others
Update 2/3/2022: Buddy has continued his advocacy work throughout his life and was recently recognized by HelpAge USA. Join us in congratulating Buddy!
Seabury at Friendship Terrace resident, Buddy, remembers the 1963 March on Washington. He worked in a store downtown and took the day off to go see Dr. King and others speak. “It was so crowded. There were people everywhere.”, he recalls. Buddy climbed a tree on Constitution Avenue so that he could get a better view of the speakers in the distance. “Millions of people were walking down Constitution Avenue to dip their feet in the Reflecting Pool because many of them had walked a long way to get here.” Buddy stayed perched in the tree and listened to the speeches through the speakers that had been set up.
Twenty-five years later, he was working as a Community Liaison Officer for Walter Fauntroy, the U.S. House Representative for the District, and a friend of Dr. King. Buddy visited neighborhoods throughout the city and attended meetings and events to engage with DC residents and ensure Representative Fauntroy was aware of important community issues and concerns.
One day, Buddy was asked to connect with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to help organize an event to honor the 25th anniversary of the March on Washington. Buddy made sure all the permits were in order for the event, coordinated with the marshals, and publicized the event throughout the District. The SCLC brought thousands of people in from out of town to hear some of the same speakers hold the stage at the Lincoln Memorial just as they had in 1963.
To Buddy, Black History Month is “an opportunity to introduce to some and remind others of the contributions that African-Americans have made and the role they played in our country.” He has two photos on his apartment door to educate his fellow neighbors at Friendship Terrace. One is the iconic photo of John Carlos and Thomas Smith raising their fists at the 1968 Olympics. The other photo is of five of the first African-Americans to serve in the U.S. Congress (Jefferson Long, Hiram Revels, Benjamin Turner, Josiah Walls, and Joseph Rainey). He remains committed to engaging with his community and connecting people to history. He is a member of the Friendship Terrace Resident Association, an appointee to the Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Council, a researcher for HelpAge USA, an Outreach Coordinator for the Bernice Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center, and has even co-authored a collection of memoirs from older DC residents in Ward 1.
Seabury is extremely proud to be the place Buddy calls home. His efforts to advocate for his community and educate others are examples of the ways in which #SeaburyCares.
