He became the founding president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957.

FORBES: Martin Luther King Day

Joseph Lowery, part of King's inner-circle at the SCLC.

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When the SCLC needed money, it was Coretta Scott King who came to the fore, organizing a series of Freedom Concerts telling the story of the civil rights movement through a combination of prose, poetry and performance.

NPR: Coretta Scott King, a Leader in Her Own Right