⁣Cordy Tindell Vivian was an American minister, author, and close friend and lieutenant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement. Beginning in 1963, he served as the national director of affiliates for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In that role, he became a key ally of Martin Luther King Jr. and a major organizer of civil rights actions across the South. "If it had Martin's name on it or if it was SCLC-affiliated, I was over that and having to take care of it and deal with it," he explained in 2011.