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Ralph Worrell was a servant warrior. Like any warrior he was tenacious. But he was above all else a servant. He embodied the spirit of the drum major Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached was necessary to be first in the kingdom.
Worrell was born in Barbados 88 years ago. His ancestors were among those Africans who could not be broken for service as a slave in America.
“SCLC is the only organization that Dr. King ever organized,” bellowed Charles Steele, Jr., President and Chief Executive Office of the International Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to a packed church on the outskirts of Tuscaloosa, Alabama last spring.
In spite of this fact the name of SCLC was not mentioned during an unveiling of a statue of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the grounds of the Georgia state capitol on the 54th anniversary of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
In 1964 Elmore Nickelberry was 32 years old. He was the father of five children. He was a hero of sorts, but no one knew it or if they did know it, they gave him no recognition for his sacrifice and service to his country.
That year, Nickelberry was discharged from the United States Army, where he had served in the early stages of America’s involvement in Vietnam. His release was bitter sweet.
Dr. Charles Steele, Jr, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is still making moves at SCLC as he makes plans for their 59th convention. The organization first convened in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1957 to chart a course to eliminate “war, poverty and injustice.”
With little fanfare, this year, SCLC reached 60 Years of service to humanity.
January this year marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This conference of Christian brothers and sisters grew out of a profound need to remove the political, social and economic shackles from descendants of people who had been forcibly removed from their home in Africa in the 15th, 16th and especially the 17th century; and brought to what would become the United States of America.
The making of “Easier to Obtain than to Maintain” began in the spring of 2016. I received a call from a friend who asked if I would be interested in writing and publishing a book on the life of Cathelean Steele, the first lady of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
I was intrigued about getting to know the woman behind Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., the Chief Executive Officer and President of SCLC. After all Dr. Steele, had on two occasions in the 21st century resurrected SCLC from the brink of extinction. The woman supporting such a man had to be a fascinating person, worthy of the public’s attention.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, CASCADE PRESS (CP) This week the Southern Christian Leadership Conference named it’s headquarters, the Charles Steele, Jr. International Headquarters Building. The building is located at 320 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia. It is in the heart of the old “Sweet Auburn” financial district.