Encyclopedia article about Ralph David Abernathy, who emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as a founding, and steadfast, leader of the civil rights movement. At the age of 29, Abernathy was one of the organizers of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which began in December of 1955. He was a close friend and confidante of Martin Luther King, Jr., a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and an integral part of the historic events that took place during the height of the civil rights movement.

The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the aggregation and enhancement of partner metadata.

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Forms part of the Encyclopedia of Alabama.