Civil rights group’s executive board suspends two leaders

Received by Newsfinder from APNov 5, 2004 22:52 Eastern Time ATLANTA (AP) _ The Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s executive committee has suspended the civil rights organization’s president and chairman. No reason was given for the action against the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, the president, and Claud Young, the chairman. No SCLC official would say how long the suspensions would last, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Last month Shuttlesworth attempted to fire a high-ranking official, the Rev. Randel Osburn, who was recovering from cancer when he learned he was fired. Osburn, a cousin of Coretta Scott King, was quickly reinstated by the board. Spokeswoman Trish D’Abreau confirmed the suspensions without further comment. Other SCLC officials declined comment. The organization has been going through a power struggle since Martin Luther King III, son of the founder Martin Luther King Jr., resigned as president a year ago. The board appointed Shuttlesworth as interim president and he was elected president for a one-year term at the SCLC convention last summer. His was a last-minute nomination after sharp conflicts developed among supporters of two leading nominees.