What organization did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. help to establish and serve as its first president?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was instrumental in the establishment of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and served as its first president. Founded in 1957, the SCLC was established to harness the moral authority and organizing power of black churches to carry on the civil rights movement. King's leadership in this organization was pivotal, as it brought together various civil rights groups and focused on nonviolent protest as a means of addressing racial injustices. The SCLC played a significant role in orchestrating events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Birmingham Campaign, which were critical in the struggle for civil rights.

In contrast, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was already well established by the time of the SCLC’s formation, having been founded in 1909. The SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) was formed later, in 1960, to engage younger activists in the civil rights movement, while the Urban League, founded in 1910, focuses on economic issues affecting African Americans, with a different approach than that of King and the SCLC. Thus, the connection between King and the SCLC is a significant aspect of the civil rights movement's history.