Albany Movement

== Dr. King's involvement ==
Prior to the movement, Martin Luther King Jr. and the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] had been criticized by the SNCC, who felt he had not fully supported the [[Freedom Riders|Freedom Ride]]s. Some SNCC activists had even given King the derisive nickname "De Lawd" for maintaining a safe distance from challenges to the [[Jim Crow laws]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/martin_luther_king_01.shtml Martin Luther King's Style of Leadership] BBC</ref>
When King first visited on December 15, 1961, he wasn't planning on staying for more than a couple days until counsel,<ref name="Autobiography">King, Martin Luther. ''The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.'' New York: Warner Books, 1998.</ref> but the following day he was swept up in a mass arrest of peaceful demonstrators. He declined bail until the city made concessions, then after leaving town stating, "Those agreements were dishonored and violated by the city".<ref name=Autobiography />

King returned in July 1962, and was sentenced to either 45 days in jail or a $178 fine;<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zinn |first1=Howard |title=Albany |url=https://www.howardzinn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/albany_zinn.pdf |publisher=Atlanta: Southern Regional Council, 1962. p. 9.}}</ref> he chose jail. Three days into his sentence, Chief Pritchett discreetly arranged for King's fine to be paid and ordered his release. "We had witnessed persons being kicked off lunch counter stools during the sit-ins, ejected from churches during the kneel-ins, and thrown into jail during the Freedom Rides. But for the first time, we witnessed being kicked out of jail."<ref name="Autobiography"/>  During this time, prominent evangelist [[Billy Graham]], a close friend of King's who privately advised the SCLC,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WBKaYVni9Z8C&pg=PA92|title=Billy Graham and the Rise of the Republican South|page=92|first=Steven P. |last=Miller|year=2009|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|location=Philadelphia|isbn=978-0-8122-4151-8|access-date=May 21, 2015}}</ref> bailed King out of jail.<ref>[http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/theme/2179 King Center:Billy Graham] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315074536/http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/theme/2179 |date=2015-03-15 }} Accessed May 1, 2015</ref>

After nearly a year of intense activism with few tangible results, the movement began to deteriorate. During one demonstration, black youth hurled children's toys and paper balls at Albany police. King requested a halt to all demonstrations and a "Day of Penance" to promote non-violence and maintain the moral high ground. Later in July, King was again arrested and held for two weeks. Following his release, King left town.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popsike.com/FREEDOM-IN-THE-AIR-ALBANY-GA-612-Documentary-LP-BLACK-HISTORY-GUY-CARAWAN-SNCC/391282161446.html|title=popsike.com - FREEDOM IN THE AIR ALBANY GA '61-2 Documentary LP BLACK HISTORY GUY CARAWAN SNCC - auction details|website=www.popsike.com|language=en|access-date=2020-04-14}}</ref>

Overall, King's involvement in Albany received mixed responses from civil rights activists in Albany, as they felt that the SCLC failed to consult local leaders before getting involved in the Albany movement and they viewed negatively King's early departure despite a pledge to stay in jail.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Green |first1=Robert |title=The American civil rights movement: A documentary history |last2=Cheatham |first2=Harold |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0719070136 |edition=illustrated |pages=103 |language=English}}</ref> The campaign in Albany, thus, highlighted tensions in the Civil Rights movement between national and local movements, and forced the SCLC to learn the importance of coordinating planning with local movements.<ref name=":0" />
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