Southern Christian Leadership Conference

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is a civil rights organization founded in 1957 by Black ministers and activists to coordinate nonviolent campaigns against racial segregation and disfranchisement.

Nonviolent resistance: A strategy of opposing injustice through disciplined actions that avoid physical violence. The conference made nonviolent action the guiding method of its campaigns.
Martin Luther King Jr.: An American Baptist minister and civil rights leader who advocated nonviolent resistance to racial injustice. He served as the conference's founding president and most prominent public leader.
Montgomery bus boycott: A 1955–1956 protest that ended segregated seating on Montgomery, Alabama, buses. The boycott's leaders and organizing experience helped inspire a regional organization for coordinated campaigns.
Civil Rights Act of 1964: A federal law prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and federally funded programs. The Birmingham campaign helped build the public pressure that preceded its passage.
Direct action: Political action that confronts an issue directly rather than relying solely on representatives or formal procedures. Its campaigns used boycotts, marches, and demonstrations to challenge segregation.
Ralph Abernathy: An American Baptist minister and civil rights activist who helped lead the movement against segregation. He co-founded the conference and succeeded King as its president.
Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Story: A 1957 comic book explaining the Montgomery bus boycott and nonviolent resistance. Its creation was among the conference's early efforts to publicize the boycott's organizing lessons.
Voting Rights Act of 1965: A federal law prohibiting racial discrimination in voting and authorizing federal enforcement. The Selma campaign helped secure the political momentum behind its enactment.
Church-based organizing: Collective political or social action organized through congregations and religious networks. Black churches supplied meeting places, trusted leaders, and communication networks.
Ella Baker: An American civil rights organizer known for building grassroots leadership and participatory organizations. As the conference's executive director, she pressed leaders to build local organizing capacity.

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