Southern Christian Leadership Council gathers in Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The civil rights group once led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is meeting in Birmingham this week. The Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference opens its national convention in the city on Sunday. The SCLC says the four-day event will feature perspectives on current civil rights challenges. The group will look at its role in addressing those issues both in the United States and abroad. SCLC President Charles Steele of Tuscaloosa will speak at an opening event on Sunday night. Other sessions include talks about restoring the Voting Rights Act, the state of the black church and helping women move up the corporate ladder. King was the first president of the SCLC. His daughter Bernice King and actress Robin Givens are among those expected to attend the convention.