Atlanta

MLK Day mystery: Woman wants to know who other girl is in picture with her, Martin Luther King Jr.

ATLANTA — An Atlanta woman has spent every Martin Luther King Jr. Day wondering this: Who was the baby sitting next to her as she sat on King's lap as a young child.

Sonya Milner shared the picture with Channel 2’s Matt Johnson that shows her, another baby, King and his father, taken at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in northeast Atlanta.

Milner said she is one of millions of Americans who have been touched by the words of Dr. King, but not everyone can say they have shared a picture with the legendary civil rights activist.

“He touched me. He was that close to me. He was actually my first official minister,” Milner said.

The Atlanta woman said she is the newborn seen on the left in the picture being held by Dr. King’s father during her christening ceremony at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Every MLK Day she admires the picture from March 5, 1967. And every year she wonders about the other baby with whom she shared the special moment.

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“It’s a picture I’ve looked at my entire life, for 53 years. And every time I look at it, I wonder who that baby is,” Milner said. “It would just make the circle complete for me.”

An MLK Day isn't complete for many families without a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park.

“Because he made our world a better place,” said Jachobi Burston, 8.

The Burston family told Johnson they made it a priority to make sure their kids understand Dr. King's legacy.

“My children have the know who he was and what he was about so they can live a better life,” Michael Burston said.

People from all over Georgia and beyond braved near-freezing temperatures to absorb history.

“Kind of gives me chills, honestly, and not just the weather,” said Kyle Womelduff, who came from Kansas City.

For Milner, every year she's reminded of how her photo with Dr. King has always captured her imagination.

“His life was cut so short. What would he have achieved in 39 more years?” Milner asked.

Milner told Johnson that she hopes her story will end up connecting her with the other baby in picture in time for next year where they can catch up together.