|
||
|
Home Page Heroes Main Page Civil Rights....Civil Wrongs Food For Thought Speeches, Writing And Thoughts Black Sports In Alabama Links My Resume Contact Us Support thatsalabama.com |
REVEREND RALPH ABERNATHY 
"Bring on your tear gas, bring on your grenades, your new supplies of Mace, your state troopers and even your national guards. But let the record show we ain't going to be turned around."
Ralph Abernathy was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's closest aide during the civil rights struggle of the '50s and '60s. He was born in Linden, Alabama on March 11, 1926, the son of a farmer. He was ordained as a Baptist minister at the age of 22 and received a B.S. degree in mathematics from Alabama State University in 1950. The following year, he received an M.A. from Atlanta University in sociology and returned to Alabama to become pastor of First Baptist Church in Montgomery. In 1955, he helped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott which was instrumental in bringing the civil rights struggle to national prominence. He continued to work closely with Dr. King and together, they founded the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1955. In 1957, they and others, including Fred Shuttlesworth and Bayard Rustin, formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with King as president and Abernathy as secretary-treasurer. In 1961, Abernathy relocated to Atlanta and was named vice president at large of the SCLC with the intention of his succeeding King as president. He continued to work alongside King until his assassination in 1968 at which time he became president. He lead the Poor People's Campaign later that year as well as presiding over Operation Breadbasket, which tried to bring about change by boycotting businesses that refused to provide equal opportunities. He served the SCLC as president until 1977 at which point he stepped down in order to run unsuccessfully for Congress. He continued to work as a pastor of the West Hunter Street Baptist Church in Atlanta and in 1989, his autobiography "And the Walls Came Tumbling Down." was published. A year later on April 17, 1990, Reverend Ralph Abernathy died. Links To Other Reverend Ralph Abernathy Internet Resources: African American World - Ralph David Abernathy. The African America Registry - Ralph Abernathy was a civil rights pioneer. History Central - Ralph Abernathy - Civil Rights Leader. Ralph Abernathy - 'Joshua to Martin Luther King's Moses'. Sparticus - Ralph Abernathy. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER If you would like us to keep you updated with changes and improvements to thatsalabama.com, please enter your email address here: If you would like to support thatsalabama.com with a donation via paypal, please click on this button: |
|
Email webmaster@thatsalabama.com