July 30

Rev. C. T. Vivian

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr’s friend, lieutenant and colleague in the Civil Rights Movement, the Reverend Cordy Tindell Vivian died on Friday, July 17, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.  He was 95 years old.  Rev. Vivian was born in Howard, Missouri on July 30, 1924. Rev. Vivian was a minister, organizer, author and had been a civil rights advocate and leader for decades.  He participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides and was named director of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) affiliates in 1963, Rev. Vivian helped begin several civil rights organizations including (Vision, the National Anti-Klan Network and the Center for Democratic Renewal).  He was the interim President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 2012.