King Son Seen Taking Over as Head of SCLC
After months of speculation, Martin Luther King III has emerged as the most likely candidate to take over as the head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Several SCLC board members Sunday confirmed a report that King, the son of the group’s co-founder Martin Luther King Jr., is the heir apparent.
The SCLC’s board of directors is expected to meet this week to vote on the appointment of the group’s new leader. But the final decision will be made by SCLC delegates.
One board member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Sunday that the SCLC’s search committee has recommended King as the top choice among finalists but that the decision isn’t final.
“It’s not written in stone, but somebody’s got the chisel,” the board member said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in Sunday’s editions that King will succeed the Rev. Joseph Lowery, who has headed the civil rights organization for 20 years. Lowery said he could neither confirm nor deny the report.
King did not return telephone messages seeking comment.
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