Ralph Abernathy began gaining the skills to be a leader at a young age, and exemplified those skills by leading multiple demonstrations. Ralph Abernathy was born on March 11, 1926, in Linden, Alabama. He was born into a time of social inequality and race segregation. Abernathy served in the United States Army during WWII and served as a platoon Sergeant, leading his own group of soldiers. After being discharged from the Army, he enrolled at Alabama State University (ASU). While attending ASU he began to notice how the university was segregated. He gained fame when he started his first demonstrations, protesting the lack of heat and hot water in his dormitory and the dreadful food served in the cafeteria. Later, in 1951, he was called to the Civil Rights Movement when he became the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. As pastor he mentored Martin Luther King Jr. as a minister of a nearby church. They formed a close friendship that would carry on for the rest of their lives. Abernathy developed a leadership role from the start of his life which helped lead him into his role as one of the biggest Civil Rights advocates America had ever had.
Abernathy organized, created, and lead multiple different protest and organizations to help the Civil Rights Movement. One of The biggest protests he organized was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Abernathy organized it with the help of Martin Luther King Jr. and