This is a president who has not met with the civil rights leadership of our country.

Mr. Reagan has never met with the Congressional Black Caucus or with the national civil rights leadership.

Such economic problems were not being addressed by a civil rights leadership focused on "affirmative action", a policy benefiting the truly advantaged within the Black community.

The civil rights leadership always put the emphasis on issues like voting rights, public accomodations, equal military service, school desegregation, anti-lynching, and so on.

He could have led, but his stubborness on principle led to excommunication from the civil rights leadership.

Seen through the tunnel vision of today's human rights leadership, such a move would have been unacceptable.

Evers' civil rights leadership and investigative work made him a target of white supremacists.

"For the black civil rights leadership, the surprise discovery of defensiveness within the segregated white world turned their fear into elation," he wrote.

"With the civil rights leadership under attack," he said, "there's no organizing, no overwhelming reason why people should be excited."

Mr. King himself makes no claim to civil rights leadership.