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Good articleRalph Abernathy has been listed as one of the History good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Article milestones
DateProcessResult
April 4, 2018 Good article nomineeListed
Did You Know
A fact from this article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the " Did you know?" column on May 4, 2018.
The text of the entry was: Did you know ... that Ralph Abernathy (pictured), mentor and friend of Martin Luther King Jr., led a demonstration protesting the use of federal funds for the Apollo 11 project when many Americans lived in poverty?
On this day...Facts from this article were featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the " On this day..." column on March 11, 2018, April 17, 2023, March 11, 2024, and April 17, 2024.

Book

I think some of the events surrounding his book would be very good to have mentioned. A very important contribution and part of his life is being left out. Ralph Abernathy was the 12th president of Africa in the 1800's. He was the first person to ever have Ebola.

Image

While I'm sure some would see it as a badge of honor, couldn't anyone find something other than a mug shot for his photo?

There wasn't a photo there at all a few days ago. Ah, well, you have a point, I guess. Here goes. AnonEMouse 16:09, 26 April 2006 (UTC) reply

Ralph vs. Ralph David

Searching "Ralph David Abernathy" redirects to this page. This page is about his father, Ralph Abernathy. The top of the page also says "Ralph David Abernathy". Which is it? This needs to be fixed and clarified... 65.104.203.83 ( talk) 16:54, 4 April 2008 (UTC) reply

Tone

The tone in the section on civil rights work is not written encyclopedically. It is written like a speech, with excessive analogies, paralellism, and loaded language. Instead of paraphrasing Abernathy's talking points with his own achievements, the article should include more quotes as well as citations (as has been mentioned). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.63.107.83 ( talk) 19:12, 6 September 2011 (UTC) reply

I totally agree. While I think that Abernathy was a very important person who did a massive amount to improve the world, I still think that the article should have a much more neutral tone and allow the facts to speak for themselves. When reading through the article, I was shocked by the intensity with which that section (which contains a grand total of 1 citations) feels as though it's praising Abernathy. I went through the revision history to see how it got that way, and found that it was mainly done over a handful of edits in 2009 by an anonymous editor (76.214.17.104) whose only contributions are to this page. While it feels ridiculous to criticize bias in favor of civil rights, I still do think that this kind of tone should be avoided. I've added a "tone" tag to that section, and I've begun trying to make it more neutral, partly by reincorporating passages deleted years ago by that editor. BreakfastJr ( talk) 10:37, 14 June 2014 (UTC) reply

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GA Review

GA toolbox
Reviewing
This review is transcluded from Talk:Ralph Abernathy/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Barkeep49 ( talk · contribs) 20:45, 15 March 2018 (UTC) reply


GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

It's been awhile since I've read about Abernathy and I hadn't known much about his later life so I'm looking forward to diving into this article. I am still new a GA reviews so I look forward to working together on this article. I will make my way through the criterion over the next few days.

  1. Is it well written?
    A. The prose is clear and concise, and the spelling and grammar are correct:
    B. It complies with the manual of style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation:
    Given the (totally reasonable length of the WP:Lead, it feels like some citations would be useful. At minimum the grave quote needs a citation. Other elements might also benefit from one (which would admittedly look a bit lonely).
     Fixed grave quote cited — Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 16:10, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
  2. Is it verifiable with no original research?
    A. It contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline:
    B. All in-line citations are from reliable sources, including those for direct quotations, statistics, published opinion, counter-intuitive or controversial statements that are challenged or likely to be challenged, and contentious material relating to living persons—science-based articles should follow the scientific citation guidelines:
    This article has some really strong sourcing. I was unable to access all materials but uniformly what I could access via web or other ways was high quality and corresponded clearly to what was being cited.
    C. It contains no original research:
    D. It contains no copyright violations nor plagiarism:
  3. Is it broad in its coverage?
    A. It addresses the main aspects of the topic:
    B. It stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style):
  4. Is it neutral?
    It represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each:
    See comments below for issues with weight.
    Will review then comment below. — Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 15:19, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
  5. Is it stable?
    It does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute:
  6. Is it illustrated, if possible, by images?
    A. Images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid fair use rationales are provided for non-free content:
    B. Images are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions:
    Given the relatively recent nature of Abernathy it feels like there could be more images out there. A quick search of WikiCommons suggests there is at least one picture of Abernathy and King which might fit into this article given their joint work.
     Fixed Image added. — Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 15:23, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
  7. Overall:
    Pass or Fail:

Reviewer Comments and Thoughts

Observations as I do an intensive read through of the article:

Lead

  • In good shape absent one suggestion noted above about gravestone quote.

Early life, family, and education

  • The source doesn't seem to support the statement "At Linden Academy, Abernathy led his first demonstration, to protest the inferior science lab; the school improved the science lab as a result of his persistent actions.[5]" but does suggest advocacy at Alabama State
  • Neither source listed specifically sites rhumatic fever as a reason for WWII discharge
  • Suggest "In the fall, he then went on to further his education at Atlanta University.[7] And, in 1951, Abernathy earned his Master of Arts degree in sociology with High Honors.[3]" be changed to "In the fall, he then went on to further his education at Atlanta University, earning his Master of Arts degree in sociology with High Honors in 1951."
  • I'm confused about how he could write his masters thesis on an organization which hadn't yet been founded
  • Why are the genders of only the first two children listed?
  • Is the only issue of note with his children the quick death of his first child?
Perhaps edit to "after his birth on August 16 while the rest of Abernathy's children lived to adulthood." After clicking on the link to Ralph David Abernathy III that page is a disaster but thoughts on including a sentence about him here? Barkeep49 ( talk) 18:36, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
 Done — Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 10:08, 4 April 2018 (UTC) reply

Civil Rights Activism

  • Suggestion: "The 381-day transit boycott, challenging the "Jim Crow" segregation laws, had been successful at desegregating the buses and n December 20, 1956, the boycott came to an end."
 Done Barkeep49 ( talk) 18:36, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
  • Clarify that King never regain consciousness at hospital.
    • This is already stated: "The doctors performed an emergency surgery, but he never regained consciousness.[42] King was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. at age 39.[43]" — Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 15:38, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
 Done Barkeep49 ( talk) 18:36, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply

Stopping here for now. Will resume when time permits. Barkeep49 ( talk) 16:34, 16 March 2018 (UTC) reply

Why is there a heading for Media Appearances in the middle of this section describing Abernathy's civil rights involvement? Michael Young Username ( talk) 04:51, 8 December 2021 (UTC) reply

  • Probably worth mentioning that the march for Sanitation workers was a continuation of the work that occurred when King was assassinated
  • The amount of detail in Leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is inconsistent. Does his encounter at NASA really deserve several times the length of the Poor People's Campaign? It's of enough historical weight that it might deserve its own subsection (and it seems like the content could be fairly easily sourced from the PPC's article which on a quick glance appears solid)
  • I don't understand how Abernathy was able to negotiate a peace if the FBI thought he might cause a violent uprising
    • You have to recall that the FBI also suspected MLK and other peaceful protestors/activists as "potential threats" as well... just because the FBI thought he was a potential cause to an uprising that didn't occur, it doesn't make it so. The sources in the article and elsewhere online make it appear clear that he did indeed play a part in the peace being found in the midst of the incident. — Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 15:54, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
That's totally fair but as worded suggests the reason why he was able to make peace was because the FBI thought he'd do a violent uprising. Is this correct? I'm not quite sure of what the whole context is so I'm having a hard time coming up with a suggested alternative but one such version (if historically accurate) might be: "and the Leaders of the American Indian Movement, Russell Means and Dennis Banks, despite the FBI's concerns that outsiders like Abernathy might cause a violent uprising." Barkeep49 ( talk) 18:36, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
 Fixed — Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 10:16, 4 April 2018 (UTC) reply
  • Seems worth mentioning why the SCLC declined during Abernathy's time (which is referenced in several of the sources)

Political career and later activism=

  • Is there evidence to support that And the Walls was Abernathy's final accounting?
  • I would suggest use of the n word doesn't meet the WP:OM burden that there is "no equally suitable alternative is available." Suggested change: "to protest the news media's use of the term "Moonies", which they compared to a racial slur." This might not be strong enough but want to put ot there for discussion.
    • There were many racial slurs used back then, and in this case I don't find the singular use of the word (as is done in the sourcing) so offensive that it should not be included for clarity for the reader. — Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 16:14, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
After re-reading artcle, source, and WP:OM I'm still not sure I agree but will defer to you as article's editor and subject mastery.  Done Barkeep49 ( talk) 18:36, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply

Legacy and Awards

  • This section seems woefully brief and doesn't really help the reader to understand what his legacy was, simply lists awards.
I really do feel like a section on his Legacy would be beneficial. However, I'm not strictly sure it's needed to be a GA (though would be for FA) and this tributes section works nicely for what it is.  Done Barkeep49 ( talk) 18:36, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply

That ends my read through. Will comment on areas not covered by this reading of the article next.

@ Coffee: thanks for your further work on this. Believe we're close. Barkeep49 ( talk) 18:36, 3 April 2018 (UTC) reply
@ Barkeep49: Think I got everything good to go now... but please feel free to let me know if I missed anything! — Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 10:18, 4 April 2018 (UTC) reply
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