Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., the Last of the Traditional Civil Rights Leaders in the U.S., to Step Down as President and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference This Month

Dr. Chares Steele, Jr.
Dr. Chares Steele, Jr.

Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., the Last of the Traditional Civil Rights Leaders in the U.S., to Step Down as President and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference This Month

ATLANTA - Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., believed to be the last of the traditional civil rights leaders who followed in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the co-founder and first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), announced today that he will step down from the internationally renowned organization on August 31, 2024, after the SCLC’s 65th Annual Conference, which will be held on August 9 and 10, 2024 in Atlanta at the Doubletree by Hilton Atlanta Airport, 3400 Norman Berry Dr.

Dr. Steele said he will continue serving as president emeritus in an advisory role for the legendary civil rights organization. Still, he will venture into a specific area of the movement to develop housing for people with low incomes, an area dear to his heart at this prime stage of his life. Housing, he said, was a critical part of Dr. King’s vision that was never realized before his assassination on April 4, 1968. Housing remains a crucial social justice issue as housing costs continue to spike in the U.S., making homeownership a fleeting reality for poor and working-class Americans, especially African Americans. According to the National Association of Realtors, in 2023, 45.7 percent of Black Americans owned homes, which is significantly lower than the 74.3 percent of White Americans. The number of Black homeowners has dropped since 2004, when homeownership peaked at 49.7 percent. The urgency of the affordable housing issue cannot be overstated, and Dr. Steele's commitment to this cause should motivate us all to take action.

“I have been at the SCLC for almost 20 years,” Dr. Steele said. “We have to take the movement to another level, and I am just extending myself to be a part of the next level. Being in my current position, I cannot take it to the next level. I feel good about where my wife and I are going next. We will still be in civil rights, but we are dealing with fulfilling the dream of Dr. King through affordable housing and getting people in the position to own homes. More than ever, people are being evicted, and we must provide a solution.” Dr. Steele's unwavering dedication to the civil rights movement is a beacon of hope for the future, inspiring us all to continue the fight for equality and justice.

A former influential Alabama State Senator and owner of a Tuscaloosa funeral home, Dr. Steele was recruited to assume the leadership of the civil rights organization in 2004. Rev. James Orange, a top aide to Dr. King, and Tyrone Brooks, who joined the SCLC as a teen in the early 1960s and later became a young staffer, drove to Alabama to encourage him to become the SCLC president. After some nudging from his wife, Cathelean, he agreed to leave the political arena and engage in civil rights full-time.

Dr. Steele, 78, served as president and CEO of the organization for about five years and took a three-year hiatus in 2009. He returned in 2012 and is noted for being a top fundraiser and for maintaining the global legacy of the organization by meeting with world leaders in the Middle East, Europe, and South America, such as the late Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, to address conflicts. He is also praised for being a loyal soldier in the civil rights struggle, whether on the front line leading the movement or behind the scenes. He is credited for mobilizing community support for the crucial legislation introduced by Brooks, who was also a longtime influential Georgia lawmaker, that paved the way for a statue of Dr. King to be erected on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. Known as a fiery orator, who sets a room on fire when the cause means driving the crowd to action, Dr. Steele also used that same cadence to push those away who were not committed to direct action because, in the movement for social change, Dr. Steele warns the crowds that “A scared negro will get you killed.”

When Dr. Steele assumed the SCLC's leadership, the organization faced significant challenges and was perceived by some as being on its deathbed. However, Dr. Steele, who was already admired for his leadership as the president of the Alabama State SCLC, brought new life to the organization. Within just 3 ½ years, he raised an impressive $20 million, which was used to build a state-of-the-art new headquarters for the SCLC on Auburn Avenue, near the original SCLC home established in 1957. His leadership and fundraising efforts have been instrumental in revitalizing the SCLC and ensuring its continued impact.

“Chares Steele must be commended because he has done something that Martin Luther King, Jr. has not done for us, Ralph David Abernathy has not done for us, Joe Lowery has not done for us, and Martin Luther King III has not done for us. He bought a new spanking building on Auburn Avenue near the original headquarters. Suppose Charles Steele had not come at the time that he did. I don’t believe we would have a Southern Christian Leadership Conference today. When he came to Atlanta, the SCLC was broken. We had no money, and the building was crumbling. The organization was on life support. Charles Steele has been a Godsend to the SCLC. He has been a blessing in disguise.”

Supporters say Dr. Steele's leadership has not only revitalized the SCLC but also inspired a new generation of activists, for which they are all deeply grateful.

ABOUT THE SCLC: Established in 1957, the SCLC, whose first president was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is an international organization comprising chapters and affiliates with programs that affect the lives of all Americans: north, south, east, and west. Its sphere of influence and interests has become international because the human rights movement transcends national boundaries. For additional information about the SCLC, visit www.nationalsclc.org. To arrange an interview with Dr. Steele, contact Jerry Thomas at jerry@jerrythomaspr.com or (312) 804-7999.

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