Ralph D. Abernathy biography

Ralph D. Abernathy biography

• NAME: Ralph David Abernathy Sr.
• OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist, Pastor
• BIRTH DATE: March 11, 1926
• DEATH DATE: April 17, 1990
• EDUCATION: Alabama State University, Atlanta University

• PLACE OF BIRTH: Marengo County, Alabama
• PLACE OF DEATH: Atlanta, Georgia
• AKA: Ralph David Abernathy
• AKA: Ralph Abernathy

Synopsis

Born on March 11, 1926, in Marengo County, Alabama, Ralph D. Abernathy was raised on a 500-acre farm. He was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1948, and by 1951 led First Baptist Church in Montgomery. In 1955, Abernathy and Martin Luther King Jr. organized the historic boycott of the city's bus system. The two later founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and were almost inseparable during every major civil rights event. Abernathy died in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 17, 1990.

Early Years

Ralph Abernathy was the 10th child in a family with 12 offspring; he was born on March 11, 1926, in Marengo County, Alabama, to Louivery Abernathy and William Abernathy, a farmer and deacon. Upon graduating high school, he left his family's 500-acre farm after being drafted into the army during World War II. Following his military service, the young man became an ordained minister in 1948 while pursuing his education. Abernathy earned a mathematics degree in 1950 from Alabama State College and a master's degree in sociology from Atlanta University a year later. He then became pastor of the First Baptist Church in Montgomery and dean of students at Alabama State. He also married Juanita Odessa Jones; the two had four children.

Close Allies With Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1954, when Martin Luther King Jr. became a minster at nearby church, Abernathy mentored him. The two formed an incredible bond and would become leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1955, the pair founded the Montgomery Improvement Association and organized a yearlong bus boycott. Their actions were triggered by the arrest of Rosa Parks, who had refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. The boycott caught the country's attention but also brought violence; Abernathy's home and church were damaged by bomb blasts.

The danger didn't deter Abernathy. In 1957, he and King helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the most prominent of the civil rights organizations in the south. King was president and Abernathy eventually became vice president. A few years later, Abernathy hosted a rally for the Freedom Riders, black and white activists who traveled by bus to protest segregation in the South.

Later that year, when King took his civil rights efforts to Atlanta, Abernathy followed, working at the West Hunger Street Baptist Church. The two activists continued to organize protests, sit-ins and marches. Abernathy was arrested with King 17 times and was always by King's side, including when the civil rights leader was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Abernathy worked to keep King's spirit alive and became president of the SCLC. He also spearheaded the Poor People's Campaign of 1968, which included a march on Washington that led to the creation of the Federal Food Stamps Program.

Death and Legacy

In 1977, Abernathy relinquished his role as SCLC president and ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. After failing to be elected, he focused on his work as a minister and speaker. In 1989, his autobiography And the Walls Came Tumbling Down was published.

Abernathy passed away on April 17, 1990 in Atlanta. He’ll always be remembered as King’s closest confidante and second in command. In fact, King himself said in his last speech, "Ralph David Abernathy is the best friend that I have in the world."