Ralph Abernathy in Civil Rights Movement: "Black Power" Era
Ralph Abernathy (1926–1990) was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement and a close friend to Martin Luther King, Jr.
After King's death, Abernathy assumed leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and remained committed to carrying through King's plans to fight poverty.
In May 1968, Reverend Ralph Abernathy led the Poor People's March on Washington, a protest that his friend and colleague Martin Luther King, Jr. had planned before his death.