By Alabama Public Radio
Atlanta, GA – Charles Steele of Tuscaloosa is expected to be named the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's interim president Friday. The move comes after the resignation of the organization's president and Birmingham native Fred Shuttlesworth. Steele is the current executive vice president of the Atlanta-based civil rights organization. He says the spirits of Martin Luther King, Junior, and other civil rights leaders are still alive, and the organization still has an obligation to peace and unity. Shuttlesworth resigned Wednesday. He questions whether the group's current leadership can recover from financial problems and internal fights. The organization has faced several problems during the past year, including the resignation of the previous president, Martin Luther King the Third, as well as this summer's convention when police had to be called to keep the peace. The group's board is holding a leadership retreat in Atlanta this week.