For some people, change is a new political catchword.

But for Alan Anderson, change has been constantly occurring throughout his lifetime. And Anderson has been part of that change.

Sitting in the basement of Cherry Hall with a pack of Salems in his hand, the former head of the philosophy and religion department recounted when he was privy to meeting one of the most important people in American history.

The year was 1962. Kennedy was starting his second year in office. Anderson was a minister at a Methodist church on the south side of Chicago when he heard there was a need for protesters in the South.

He was contacted by some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s associates, who needed people to protest in Albany, Ga.

Those who traveled to Georgia with Anderson were religious figures from the Chicago area and included members of various faiths.

When the group arrived in Albany, they were greeted by a police cruiser, which escorted them to their destination-the Albany courthouse.

The travelers would reach the courthouse before being arrested.

“After a moment or two of prayer, we were ordered to disperse on the grounds that we were disturbing the peace,” Anderson said.

They didn’t.

As 40 people were taken to four local jails in the Albany area, Anderson’s group was placed in a prison block reserved for chain gang laborers.

On the first day of imprisonment, the group took a vow of fasting, a tradition of protesters during that time.

The jailers, determined to break their spirits, celled them with some of the “rougher characters.” To make sure they were protected, the group members took turns keeping watch at night.

After they had been in jail for a couple of days, Anderson’s group was informed that they would get a visit from King.

King was in the region because he had gotten involved in the Albany movement.

The next day, when a group of black men entered the cell, King wasn’t immediately noticed.

“When we think of heroes, we imagine them to be seven feet tall,” Anderson said.

There were three things that King told Anderson’s group.

First, that the protest had been a success. They were on the front page of newspapers across the country.

Second, it was always wrong to imprison committed men, because while they were imprisoned, they had time to plot and scheme for the revolution.

Third, King needed more people in the group to stay in the jail for a few more days, to extend the press coverage of the event.

This proved to be a problem with Anderson’s group.

“We had agreed to fast while we were in jail. Everyone in those days fasted on the first day to remind themselves of their spiritual purpose. But, due to the conditions of the jail, we protested it by fasting longer,” he said.

“In 1962, it was uncommon for ministers to be arrested for anything, especially white ministers from the North to be arrested for demonstrating racial justice in the South,” Anderson explained.

For Anderson, the events in Albany made an impact.

In 1965, Anderson was a centralized figure in having King come to Chicago to look at the segregated neighborhoods. As a result, it started a march of 25,000 people to stop the segregation of the school system.

The school system changed, and Anderson started teaching classes in social ethics and racial justice.

For Anderson, change is real- not a political slogan.

Reach Eric Isbell at diversions@chherald.com.