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Abernathy, Ralph David : Original Portrait Photograph - Ralph David Abernathy

Original black-and-white portrait photograph of Ralph David Abernathy. Signed and inscribed by Abernathy in red marker in upper-left corner, "To Bob, In grateful appreciation, 'We shall overcome," Ralph David Abernathy, 5/12/'70." Head/bust shot of Abernathy taken from a lower angle. Abernathy is shown looking off into the distance. 10" x 8." Photograph is clean and intact overall. Signed inscription by Abernathy is clean, sharp, and bright, but there is some wrinkling throughout the photo. A Very Good copy. A stunning portrait photograph of one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement with his signature and inscription. Ralph David Abernathy, Sr. (1926-1990) was a Baptist minister and close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Abernathy held many prominent positions in relation to the movement and was instrumental in many of the efforts to secure equal treatment and rights for African Americans. He, King, and other African-American ministers and community leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) which helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama. The boycott lasted over a year from December 5, 1955-December 20, 1956 to protest against segregation and racial discrimination targeting African Americans on Montgomery bus lines. At the time, there were no African-American bus drivers on the Montgomery bus line and African-American passengers were forced to sit in the back rows of the bus. The front rows were reserved for white passengers. Black or white passengers could sit in the middle rows, but if a white passenger wanted to sit in a middle row, black passengers would have to move to the back. Other discriminatory practices were implemented on the Montgomery bus line such shortchanging African-American passengers and forcing African-Americans to pay their fare in the front and then enter through the back (in some cases, bus drivers would leave African-American passengers stranded after they paid their fare and exited to re-enter the bus through the back). These practices, coupled with the fact that about 3/4 of Montgomery passengers were African-American, prompted backlash and protests from African-American communities. The Montgomery bus boycott actually caused significant economic disruption for the city and was largely successful as it was a factor in the landmark case of Browder v. Gale (1956), which officially ended all bus segregation in Alabama by deeming the practice unconstitutional. The boycott also inspired similar boycotts, protests, and other acts of nonviolent civil disobedience as part of the effort to secure racial equality for all. Abernathy's work did not stop with the Montgomery boycott. Among his other work, Abernathy co-founded and became one of the presidents of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organization, and helped with negotiations during the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973. For the rest of his life, Abernathy advocated for and led civil rights causes. Biographical information referenced from Wikipedia.. Photographic Image. Book Condition: Collectible-Very Good. Binding: No Binding

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