Letter to the President from Greenberg and Abernathy Statement to Greenberg on Abernathy's Arrest and Trial
Press Release
May 2, 1969

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Press Releases, Volume 6. Letter to the President from Greenberg and Abernathy Statement to Greenberg on Abernathy's Arrest and Trial, 1969. 8a0ca576-b992-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/cdb1a908-2503-4b17-88a2-6525e47b6ca4/letter-to-the-president-from-greenberg-and-abernathy-statement-to-greenberg-on-abernathys-arrest-and-trial. Accessed April 29, 2025.
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a, 2? May 2, 1969 LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT FROM JACK GREENBERG ~ i "As counsel for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, I have been asked tonight to transmit the following message to the President of the United States by Ralph Abernathy, President SCLC and leader of the Poor People's Campaign. It was dictated by him from the place of his imprisonment." STATEMENT TO JACK GREENBERG FROM REV. RALPH D. ABERNATHY TO: Honorable Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States, Washington As you probably know for the last several days I have been here in Charleston simply because I sought to stand up for the rights of poor people in the community to organize a labor union which would bargain for their rights. Since my arrest hundreds of other black and poor working people have been arrested and we are presently confined. The Governor of this State has seen fit to declare a state of emergency and to impose a curfew. In addition, the national guard and state troopers armed with bayonets were present on last Friday at the time of my arrest. President Nixon, I know that you are aware of the fact that a crisis exists not only here in South Carolina, but in the nation, especially when a State will not recognize a labor union that seeks to bargain for the most disadvantaged part of our nation. People are left with no other alternative but to feel that this is discrimination in the highest degree, simply because the workers are predominantly black and poor. I am scheduled to go to trial on tomorrow morning, but this is not the important and significant thing. The important thing is that we must have the intervention of the office of the President of the United States immediately so that this problem can be brought to a speedy solution and peace and tranquility can be restored to this old and historic community. If you find it impossible to come to Charleston, please send one of your highest ranking officials who can communicate with the Governor, leaders of this community and the members of the power structure of South Carolina. We stand ready at all times to negotiate in our nonviolent tradition. [Ralph Abernathy, President, Southern Christian Leadership Con- ference, Leader Poor People's Campaign.]