Ralph Abernathy

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Ralph Abernathy was born on March 11, 1926, on a 500-acre family farm in Linden, Alabama, the tenth of William L. and Louivery Valentine Abernathy's 12 children. His father was the first African-American to vote in Marengo County, Alabama, and the first to serve on a grand jury there. Abernathy attended Linden Academy, a Baptist school, where he led his first demonstrations to improve students' livelihoods. During World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, advancing to platoon sergeant before being discharged. He then enrolled at Alabama State University using the G.I. Bill, and as a sophomore was elected student council president, leading a successful hunger strike to raise food quality. Ordained a Baptist minister in 1948, he preached his first sermon on Mother's Day in honor of his recently deceased mother. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1950, and that summer became the first African-American disc jockey on a white radio station in Montgomery, Alabama. He earned a Master of Arts in sociology with high honors from Atlanta University in 1951. After the arrest of Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955, Abernathy collaborated with King and E. D. Nixon to create the Montgomery Improvement Association, which organized the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott. The boycott ended on December 20, 1956, after the U.S. Supreme Court in Browder v. Gayle upheld that bus segregation was unconstitutional. In retaliation, Abernathy's home and church were bombed. He served as financial secretary-treasurer of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and supported the Freedom Riders in 1961; on May 20, 1961, after Freedom Riders were beaten at the Montgomery bus station, Abernathy and King held an event at his church, which was besieged by a white mob. U.S. Marshals and the Alabama National Guard eventually dispersed the mob. On April 3, 1968, Abernathy introduced King before his 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' speech; King called Abernathy 'the best friend that I have in the world.' The next day, Abernathy was with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. While Abernathy was inside getting cologne, King was shot on the balcony at 6:01 p.m. Abernathy ran out and cradled King; King was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. at age 39. Abernathy became president of the SCLC and led the Poor People's Campaign in Washington, D.C. He addressed the United Nations in 1971, speaking about world peace. He helped broker a deal between the FBI and American Indian Movement protesters during the Wounded Knee incident of 1973. He retired as SCLC president in 1977 and became president emeritus. Later that year, he unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives for the 5th district of Georgia. He founded the Foundation for Economic Enterprises Development (FEED) and testified before the U.S. Congress in support of extending the Voting Rights Act in 1982. In 1989, he wrote the controversial autobiography *And the Walls Came Tumbling Down*. He died of heart disease on April 17, 1990; his tombstone is engraved with the words 'I tried.'

Reader's Guide

Ralph Abernathy was a central figure in the civil rights movement, whose significance lies in his sustained leadership and organizational work alongside Martin Luther King Jr. He co-founded the Montgomery Improvement Association, which executed the 381-day bus boycott that ended bus segregation in Montgomery, and served as a key executive in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, helping to coordinate nonviolent protests across the South. After King's assassination, Abernathy assumed the presidency of the SCLC and led the Poor People's Campaign, extending the movement's focus to economic justice. His later efforts included addressing the United Nations on world peace, mediating during the Wounded Knee incident, and advocating for voting rights before Congress. Abernathy's legacy is also marked by his controversial autobiography, which sparked debate about his portrayal of King. His career reflects the transition from grassroots activism to national advocacy, and his tombstone inscription 'I tried' encapsulates his enduring commitment to the cause.

Did You Know?

• Abernathy was the first African-American disc jockey on a white radio station in Montgomery, Alabama, during the summer of 1950.
• He and Martin Luther King Jr. were jailed 17 times together for their involvement in the movement.
• Abernathy's father, William L. Abernathy, was the first African-American to vote in Marengo County, Alabama, and the first to serve on a grand jury there.
• Abernathy earned a Master of Arts degree in sociology with high honors from Atlanta University in 1951.
• He helped broker a deal between the FBI and American Indian Movement protesters during the Wounded Knee incident of 1973.