Ralph David Abernathy through the years

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Ralph David Abernathy through the years

Photos: Ralph David Abernathy through the years

1956: Ralph David Abernathy was Martin Luther King, Jr.'s right-hand man throughout the Civil Rights Movement, often at his side during speeches, key meetings, marches, rallies and arrests. Abernathy was a mentor and close aide to King during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This photo was taken in Montgomery, Ala. in the aftermath of the boycott. Click here for more from the Abernathy family history. (AP file)

1961: Juanita and Ralph David Abernathy pose with their children outside of West Hunter Street Baptist church on June 13, 1961: The children, left to right, are Juandalynn Abernathy, Donzaleigh Abernathy and Ralph David Abernathy III. (Special to the AJC)

1962: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., left, installs Rev. Ralph David Abernathy as pastor of the West Hunter Street Baptist Church in 1962. (The church moved to its present location in 1972.) Abernathy would serve as West Hunter's pastor until his death in 1990. (File)

1965: Abernathy, far right, attends a press conference in Baltimore where Martin Luther King, Jr. announces an economic boycott of Alabama. At King's right is John Lewis, chairman of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. Behind Lewis is Andrew Young. (AP file)

Undated: Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy and Andrew Young meet with Herman Russell, left, in Russell's home in Collier Heights. Russell's home was often used as a gathering place for black leaders in a time when they still couldn't use segregated facilities downtown. (AJC file)

1965: Abernathy demonstrates for reporters where Martin Luther King, Jr. was struck when King tried to register at a white hotel in Selma, Ala. The incident was portrayed in the movie "Selma." (File)

1966: Abernathy and Martin Luther King, Jr. confer with Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. in Allen's office. (George Tames/The New York Times)

1968: Days before Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, Abernathy marches with King and Bishop B. Julian Smith in Memphis, Tenn. (Jack Thornell / AP file)

1968: Abernathy is seen on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. with Hosea Williams, Jesse Jackson, and Martin Luther King, Jr., one day before King would be killed in the same spot. (AP file)

1968: Abernathy joins Coretta Scott King during an Atlanta press conference, two days after the assassination of her husband. Click here for more images of Coretta Scott King through the years. (Noel Davis / AJC file)

1968: One week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, flanked by Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, left, and Rev. Andrew Young, holds a news conference in Atlanta to address the leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Abernathy presided as president of the SCLC from 1968-77. (AP file)

1968: Abernathy arrested with other demonstrators during a Poor People's Campaign protest on the Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C. (File)

1970: Abernathy attends a nighttime memorial service at Kent State in Ohio, in memory of four students killed at the school in a confrontation with Ohio National Guardsmen. (File)

1972: Abernathy joins activist Angela Davis for a news conference in San Francisco, where they voiced support for an antiwar rally. Abernathy added that "ever since the days of Martin Luther King" he had been fighting to encourage the civil rights movement to join the antiwar movement. (AP file)

1975: Abernathy joins activist Dick Gregory, left, and another unidentified demonstrator, to seek a further investigation into the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (AP file)

Undated: Rev. Ralph David Abernathy and his wife Juanita in an undated family photo. (Special to the AJC)

1977: In 1977, Abernathy left his position as leader of the SCLC and ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He eventually lost the election and returned to ministry. (Jerome McClendon / AJC file)

Undated: Rev. Ralph David Abernathy gets animated in the pulpit in this undated photo. (Dwight Ross Jr / AJC file)

1980: Hosea Williams listens as Abernathy speaks at a press conference. (Bill Mahan / AJC staff)

1989: Abernathy, with Tyrone Brooks and administrative assistant Phyllis Marks, addresses criticism of his autobiography "And the Walls Came Tumbling Down." One part of the book described incidents of infidelity on Martin Luther King Jr.'s last night alive. Abernathy was condemned by several former allies over the content of the book. He died months later. (JOHN SPINK / AJC file)

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1956: Ralph David Abernathy was Martin Luther King, Jr.'s right-hand man throughout the Civil Rights Movement, often at his side during speeches, key meetings, marches, rallies and arrests. Abernathy was a mentor and close aide to King during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This photo was taken in Montgomery, Ala. in the aftermath of the boycott. Click here for more from the Abernathy family history. (AP file)

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