In History - Feb 14

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference led by Dr. Martin Luther King meet for the first time after the organization is officially inaugurated on January 10, 1957

As detailed at the SCLC website, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is a nonprofit, non-sectarian, inter-faith, advocacy organization that is committed to non-violent action to achieve social, economic, and political justice.

In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is renewing its commitment to bring about the promise of “one nation, under God, indivisible” together with the commitment to activate the “strength to love” within the community of humankind.  --- Southern Christian Leadership Conference

A Stanford University article describes, with the goal of redeeming 'the soul of America' through nonviolent resistance, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was established to coordinate the action of local protest groups throughout the South. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr., the organization drew on the power of church leaders and a secure middle-class Black population, including many graduates of the elite Black colleges where headquartered, in Atlanta. 

SCLC flyer, 1965

In 1966, an SCLC voter registration drive in east central Georgia's Hancock County led to high enfranchisement. The county had one of the state's highest concentrations of rural African Americans.  With their votes, they were able change their lives radically over the next two decades (Cooksey, 2004).

Dr Martin Luther King Jr 

“This conference is called because we have no moral choice, before God, but to delve deeper into the struggle—and to do so with greater reliance on non-violence and with greater unity, coordination, sharing and Christian understanding." -- Martin Luther King, Jr, January 1957

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr

Reference 

Cooksey, E. B. (Dec 10, 2004). Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/southern-christian-leadership-conference-sclc

King, “Beyond Vietnam,” in A Call to Conscience, ed. Carson and Shepard, 2001. Southern Christian 

Leadership Conference (SCLC) Biography. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/southern-christian-leadership-conference-sclc

Southern Christian Leadership Conference About us. https://nationalsclc.org/