SCLC Leadership Reflects on Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Civil Rights Leader Would Be 93 Years Old This Year
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the pre-eminent civil rights advocate of the 20th century, was gunned down by an assassin 39 years into his extraordinary life. This January 15, 2022, Dr. King would have been 93 years old. This year, the two men charged with pursuing King’s mission for justice and economic parity for all, but primarily, Black Americans paused to reflect on the life and times of the “Dreamer.”
Dr. Bernard LaFayette, the long-time Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., the President and Chief Executive Officer, who has served longer than any other person employed in this capacity by the organization, paid homage to the chief architect of civil rights advancements in the last century.
Dr. LaFayette has two fond memories of Dr. King. The first memory occurred on Dr. King’s 39th and last birthday, January 15, 1968.
“Dr. King worked all the time. He did not pay much attention to birthdays or holidays; every day was a workday for us. On his birthday in 1968, King was conducting an SCLC strategy session at Ebenezer Baptist Church. We were making plans for the Poor People’s Campaign,” said LaFayette, who was, SCLC’s National Program Administrator…
