<u>Ralph David Abernathy</u> was a close friend of martin luther king. he took over the southern christian leadership conference after king's death.
<u>Ralph Abernathy</u> (born on 1926) was King's mentor and his closest friend. Together, they founded the <u>Southern Christian Leadership Conference</u> which sought to decrease segregation in the American South. When King was assassinated, Abernathy assumed his position as the <u>succeeding president </u>until he resigned in 1977. Abernathy died in 1990.