The Southern Christian Leadership conference is a collection of local chapters located throughout the country that advocates for racial justice and government welfare programs for economic redistribution. Founded by Martin Luther King, Jr., the organization hosts demonstrations against businesses that it claims are engaged in racism and discrimination against African Americans. ¹

History

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded in 1957 to coordinate local civil-rights protest groups in the South. It was led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and worked through the support of Black churches. The organization also has long focused on economic redistribution. ²

In the 1960s, Southern Christian Leadership Conference brought 3,000 people to camp out in Washington, D.C. for more than a month as part of the “Poor People Campaign” to push for federal legislation to support welfare programs that would guarantee employment, income, and housing. ³

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is a collection of local chapters located throughout the country and the world, including South Africa and Hati. ⁴

Activity

The organization has held protests outside the headquarters of “corporations in the U.S. that have been accused of racism and discriminating against Blacks and other employees of color.” In a press release about a planned protest outside the Nielsen headquarters in 2021, the organization’s president, Charles Steele, Jr., praised President Joe Biden, saying that “We need corporate leaders to follow the example of our newly-elected president Joe Biden who truly understands what it takes to heal our country and make America better. In his first days, President Biden started reversing executive orders by his predecessor that were meant to hamper progress for people of color. No more window dressing.” ⁵

The press release also called out “the world’s top corporations, such as McDonalds, Google, Morgan Stanley, Uber, UPS, Target, Pinterest and Coca-Cola” as having been “hit with lawsuits for discrimination and racism” and claimed that “nearly all the Fortune 500 companies have paid settlements in a discrimination or sexual harassment lawsuit since 2000.” ⁶

Steele stated in a separate press release that the police killing of Memphis resident Tyre Nichols “shows how deeply embedded racism is in the police culture!” ⁷

 

Partner Organizations

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is part of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), a left-of-center civil rights organization based in Washington, D.C. that serves as an umbrella organization for more than 200 mostly left-wing organizations. These groups lobby and advocate before Congress and other federal agencies on legislation and Presidential appointments to the executive departments and judiciary. ⁸

 

Other member organizations include Americans for Democratic Action, the American Islamic Congress, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Amnesty International, the Anti-Defamation League, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, Center for Constitutional Rights, Children’s Defense Fund, Common Cause, Communications Workers of America, FairVote, Families USA, Hip Hop Caucus, Human Rights Watch, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Lambda Legal, League of United Latin American Citizens, Muslim Public Affairs Council, National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, National Council of Jewish Women, National Lawyers Guild, Open Society Policy Center, PFLAG, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Sierra Club, Southern Poverty Law Center, Teach For America, United Farm Workers of America, United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society, and United Steelworkers of America. ⁹

People

The president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is Charles Steele, Jr. He was previously a member of the Tuscaloosa City Council and was an Alabama state senator. Steele has organized various community drug task forces and advocated for funding of drug treatment centers. ¹⁰

1. “Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).” Stanford University. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/southern-christian-leadership-conference-sclc.
2.  “Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).” Stanford University. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/southern-christian-leadership-conference-sclc
3. “Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).” Stanford University. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/southern-christian-leadership-conference-sclc.
4. ^[1] “Chapters and Affiliates.” Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://nationalsclc.org/about/chapters-and-affiliates/
5. ^[1] “Streets to the Suites.” Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://nationalsclc.org/streets-to-the-suites/
6. “Streets to the Suites.” Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://nationalsclc.org/streets-to-the-suites/
7. “Racism is Embedded in Police Culture.” Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://nationalsclc.org/racism-is-embedded-in-police-culture-president-steele-laments/
8. ^[1] “Coalition Members Of The Leadership Conference On Civil And Human Rights.” 2018. The Leadership Conference On Civil And Human Rights. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://civilrights.org/about-us/coalition-members-leadership-conference-civil-human-rights/.
9.  “Coalition Members Of The Leadership Conference On Civil And Human Rights.” 2018. The Leadership Conference On Civil And Human Rights. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://civilrights.org/about-us/coalition-members-leadership-conference-civil-human-rights/.
10. ^[1] “Dr. Charles Steele, Jr.” 100 Black Men of America. https://2022conference.100blackmen.org/etn-speaker/dr-charles-steele-jr/