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b'Martin Luther King, Barack Obama and the Civil Rights Movement. The Legacy of Vincent HardingOn Monday May 19, 2014, a veteran of the Southern Freedom Movement, known to most as the Civil Rights Movement, passed away from an aneurysm while on a speaking tour in Philadelphia. He was 82.Harding was born and grew up in New York City. He obtained a B.A. in History from City College of New York in 1952, a M.S. in journalism from Columbia University in 1953, and advanced degrees in History from the University of Chicago in 1956 and in 1965. Dr. Harding served as senior academic consultant for the PBS television series\\xa0Eyes On The Prize.He taught at numerous institutions throughout the United States and eventually served as Emeritus Professor of Religion and Social Transformation at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado.In 1960, he and his wife Rosemarie Freeney Harding moved to Atlanta, Georgia where they started up Mennonite House, an interracial volunteer service centre and gathering place for the Southern Freedom Movement. In the turbulent years that followed Harding would be involved in anti-segregation campaigns as a counsellor and participant.It was during this time when he came to meet and work with Dr. Martin Lutrher King. The two would become close associates. It was Dr. Harding who is credited with drafting one of King\\u2019s most famous and arguably most relevant speeches. \\u201cA Time to Break Silence\\u201d was a no-holds barred condemnation of the Vietnam War. King delivered this speech at Riverside Church in New York City, exactly one year to the day before King was assassinated.In addition to authoring numerous articles and books including\\xa0Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero, Vincent Harding was a significant behind the scenes player, pacifist, and social justice advocate during an important period in American history.This week\\u2019s Global Research News Hour pays tribute to Dr. Harding\\u2019s life and legacy by airing a speech he gave at the University of Winnipeg on April 2, 2009. The talk was entitled\\xa0Martin Luther King and Barack Obama\\u2019s Other Ancestors. It was a tour of some of the less talked about influences on the American Civil Rights Movement and addressed the question of whether America\\u2019s first black president truly was the fulfillment of Martin Luther King\\u2019s dream.'