Southern Christian Leadership Conference

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is a national organization organized in chapters and affiliates that works for human rights across the world. It played a prominent role in the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King, Jr. Origins of the SCLC can be traced back to the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 5 December 1955 after which leaders of civil rights groups met in Atlanta on 10-11 January 1957 to form a regional organization to coordinate protest activities across the South. The first convention was held in Montgomery in August 1957. The group adopted nonviolent mass action as the cornerstone of their strategy and opened the SCLC movement to all races, religions, or backgrounds. Past presidents of the SCLC include Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, Joseph Lowery, Martin Luther King, III, Fred Shuttlesworth, and Charles K. Steele, Jr. In 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the SCLC organized the Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice.