While serving as treasurer of the American Jewish Congress in Manhattan, he aided in the defense of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. During this period, he worked for a variety of liberal causes.

Levison was instrumental in all the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the organization established by Dr. King and other Southern black preachers to further the cause of civil rights. Though King had offered to pay Levison in exchange for his help, Levison refused on every occasion, as he believed "the liberation struggle is the most positive and rewarding area of work anyone could experience."

Levison professionalized the fundraising of the organization and took on many of the publicity tasks, in addition to serving as Dr. King's literary agent. He was also a close adviser to Dr. King and a ghostwriter for him. Levison co-wrote with Clarence Benjamin Jones one of the drafts for Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech

One of MLK's closest friends and confidants had a history of literal communist activities. It speaks to the futility of conservatives that the modern day ones are MLK stans. It's even funnier when they say it's communist to be critical of (the mythologized and sanitized version of) MLK's philosophy.

It's also an indictment on the Civil Rights mythology. The myth is that it was a black struggle for liberation. It wasn't. It was just the subversion of White America by a fifth column. Nothing will get better until people let go of world views design to subvert them.

Happy MLK Day!