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11 unusual facts about Southern Christian Leadership Conference


Ben Branch

As musical director for the SCLC's Operation Breadbasket he led the Breadbasket Orchestra and Choir that performed benefits for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Operation/PUSH.

Chicago Freedom Movement

The Chicago Freedom Movement represented the alliance of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO).

Council of Federated Organizations

In addition to joining what Henry called the “home grown” NAACP, Evers and Henry traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana for organizational meeting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

COFO member organizations included the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

D'Urville Martin

Organizations such as the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Urban League condemned these films, and formed the Coalition Against Blaxploitation.

Dare Not Walk Alone

Dare Not Walk Alone is about the civil rights movement and its aftermath in St. Augustine, Florida, the site of prolonged inter-racial tension and protests by the NAACP and the SCLC.

Jack Minnis

These weekly reports played a significant role in the radicalization of SNCC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and CORE field staff.

National Youth Movement

After Jesse Jackson left the Southern Christian Leadership Conference over his administrative suspension, and Sharpton—who was mentored by Jackson—left the SCLC in protest and formed the National Youth Movement.

Operation Breadbasket

Operation Breadbasket was founded as a department of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1962, and was operated by Rev. Fred C. Bennette of Atlanta.

Triumph Church

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference selected him as 2003 Pastor of the Year, and the Detroit News has declared him one of “The New Generation of Black Leaders”.

Voter Education Project

To raise, administer, and distribute the money, the NAACP, CORE, SCLC, and SNCC formed the Voter Education Project (VEP) under the auspices of the non-profit Southern Regional Council (SRC).


Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches

The Rev. Will L. Herzfeld, an associate of Martin Luther King, Jr. and former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Alabama chapter, served as the AELC's second and last presiding bishop.

C. T. Vivian

Many of the students who participated in the Nashville Student Movement soon took on major leadership roles in both the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference SCLC.