For those who choose a staycation around the subject of contemporary Atlanta history, there is no better place to start than Tom Houck’s civil rights bus tour. The 76-year-old Houck is one of the relatively small handful of living civil rights workers who had personal, day-to-day contact with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the […]
Driving change! Civil rights tour guide Tom Houck was the personal driver of the King family. He shares his experience with the prominent leader.
What do Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and John Lewis Freedom Parkway all have in common? And the answer is: they are streets names after well-known civil rights leaders. Read more »
Genial, but no-nonsense. A rapid-fire delivery paired with a still-pronounced Boston accent. A sometimes-blunt crusader for justice. A skilled wordsmith and broadcaster. Those qualities embody Tom Houck and served him well as he morphed from a key activist in the civil rights movement to a political consultant, journalist, and talk show host. For his latest […]
Walking through the Atlanta airport, I hear a powerful voice calling out over the bustle. “The world is waiting for you,” it proclaims. The passengers surrounding me continue their march past Burger King and toward security. But I stop and turn, searching for the source. “The world would like you to find a way, to […]
To mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Atlanta Civic Circle asked two keepers of the King Dream, Tom Houck and Clayborne Carson, to share their thoughts on how the slain civil rights leader viewed democracy. This year, the federal holiday comes two days after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on January 15. He would have been […]
Some of the important places in Martin Luther King Jr.’s life are closed due to Covid, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn about the special places that played a role in the civil rights leader’s life.
Tom Houck experienced key moments of the Civil Rights Movement firsthand, and since those fateful days he has been keeping the spirit of racial justice alive in Atlanta, primarily through his civil rights bus tour. Houck started the tour six years ago, spending his days driving around the city and teaching folks about the history of the […]
Tom Houck, who spent his younger days chauffeuring Martin Luther King Jr. around town, is getting back behind the wheel — figuratively. Fifteen months after the raconteur shut down his Civil Rights Tours Atlanta because of the pandemic, he is set to reopen this month.
Maureen Orth interviewed John Lewis and Tom Houck for TVTV at the 1972 Republican National Convention. Both were working on non-partisan voter registration projects at the time, primarily focused on youth and minority voters. They had a dim view of the Young Republicans on display at the convention, who exuded a breathless enthusiasm for Richard […]
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Please use the form below to let us know about your group and event. Our typical bus is a 32 passenger vehicle, but we need to hold 2 spaces for the guide and facilitator. We prefer not touring in the larger motor coaches and prefer using our own buses due to potential audio/visual issues on other coaches. Email us at houcktom80@gmail.com or give us a call at: (404) 386-0992.
