Atlanta street named for Central State alumnus

The late Leonard E. Tate, beloved Centralian from the class of ’70, was recently honored by the city of Atlanta, Georgia, after city council members overwhelmingly passed legislation to rebrand a prominent street in his name. 

Leonard Tate Street both redresses the historical indignity of the previous name being that of a Confederate congressman and bestows on our notable alumnus a truly well-deserved tribute for the decades of service he has provided to the residents of Atlanta, particularly men of color struggling with challenging circumstances. 

The newly changed street sign appropriately stands posted in the city’s historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood just outside of Trinity House, a transitional home for un-housed Atlantans. 

Tate was one of the impassioned mentors and community organizers volunteering at Trinity House who, supported in part by his education and values gained at Central State, helped marginalized Atlantans find a better way toward prosperity.  

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At 80 years young, Tate has been described by those in the area as “a figure of tough love” whose tireless efforts have helped un-housed Black men in the local region liberate themselves from their addiction to drugs and alcohol, while motivating many to pursue their GEDs and, often, higher education.  

Overseen by his lovely wife of 30 years, Ginger Bell-Tate, since being diagnosed with dementia, Tate has this past month been in hospice care. Our hearts and prayers go out to him and his family. Bell-Tate nevertheless remains tenaciously bright in celebrating the life of her husband, whom she first met as a volunteer and who has lived a full, eclectic life any Centralian would be proud to call their own.  

In addition to his long-time work as a community organizer, Tate is also a Vietnam veteran whose various occupations have included juvenile court referee, probation officer, college professor, management consultant, and most noteworthy, aid to a U.S. senator, during which time he personally lobbied President Richard Nixon and other Washington, D.C., powerhouses to ensure Central State remained a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) at a time when considerations were being made to potentially change that crucial designation.   

It was during the early 1980s that Trinity United Methodist Church first began welcoming un-housed Atlantans into its basement as a temporary shelter. The ad-hoc program soon expanded to a Sunday soup kitchen before becoming a nonprofit. Thereafter, it opened Trinity House, whose first director was Tate — referred to by those involved and utilizing its services as “Mzee,” the Swahili word for “wise man.” 

During the early 2000s, the program migrated to the Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Hanley Building on what was then called Bell Street. Originally established in 1915, the space may be best known as having been, at one time, the home of  W.H. Hanley’s funeral, where the body of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was prepared before the minister’s funeral. 

The current director of Trinity House, Dr. Tommy Dozier, was previously a program participant himself when Tate helped him achieve stability before eventually earning an undergraduate degree from Morehouse College, a master’s degree in addiction counseling, and a doctorate in Biblical counseling. 

“I owe a lot to Leonard Tate,” Dozier said, adding, “I don’t know anybody more deserving to have a street named after him, because (without him) I could have been lost.”  

Although Leonard Tate Street has been so branded for the past few weeks, the official renaming ceremony — which had been delayed to accommodate the Atlanta city mayor’s busy schedule so that he may be in attendance — will take place at 11 a.m. EST Aug. 22. Central State’s National Alumni Association has been invited to attend.