Letter to the President from Greenberg and Abernathy Statement to Greenberg on Abernathy's Arrest and Trial

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May 2, 1969 

LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT FROM 

JACK GREENBERG 

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"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.]