Reverend ralph abernathy biography

March 11, 1926 to April 17, 1990

As Martin Luther King’s closest friend and advisor, Ralph Abernathy became a central figure in the civil rights struggle during the Montgomery bus boycott.

“Abernathy infused his audiences with new life and ardor. The people loved and respected him as a symbol of courage and strength,” King wrote in Stride Toward Freedom (73–74).

Abernathy was born on 11 March 1926 to William L.

and Louivery Bell Abernathy of Linden, Alabama. His father, the son of a slave, supported his family of 12 as a farmer while serving as deacon of the local Baptist church.

Abernathy graduated from Linden Academy and then served overseas with the United States Army toward the end of World War II.

He was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1948, and two years later he received a BS in mathematics at Alabama State College in Montgomery. He later earned an MA in sociology from Atlanta University (1958).

While a grad