Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990), Martin Luther King, Jr.'s closest associate, was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement. In 1955, he helped organize the association to supervise a city-wide bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala. following the arrest of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.

In 1957, a group of Southern black ministers from 11 states met with King and Abernathy to establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). King was elected president and Abernathy, secretary-treasurer. Under their leadership, the SCLC organized non-violent marches, sit-ins, boycotts, prayer pilgrimages and voter registration drives protesting segregation in the South. After King's death, Abernathy became president of the SCLC, heading it until 1973.