On January 10, 1957, a group of black ministers and activists gathered at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA to discuss the founding of a new organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), that would increase pressure on our nation’s leaders to address the unequal and the horrific treatment of black Americans. This group of courageous individuals, which included Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, C.K. Steele, Fred Shuttlesworth, and Joseph Lowery would be labeled “radicals” because of their use of direct, non-violent action that challenged the nation’s social and economic systems.
American Radicals tells the story of the SCLC, which has become one of the country’s most significant civil rights organizations. The work of SCLC and its members forever changed America’s civil rights movement, presented new strategies for advocating social change, and helped to define the country and world in which we live today.
Part 1: Radicals Gather
Part 2: The Birth of Radical Activism
Part 3: The Assassination of a King
Part 4: The Aftermath
Part 5: The Movement Lives On
Part 6: The Radicals Who Would Become Legends
