Clayborne Carson (born June 15, 1944) is an American academic who was a professor of history at Stanford University and director of the Martin Luther King Jr., Research and Education Institute.

Carmichael convinced him to attend the March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, pronounced "snick").

[2] It wasn't until 1964 after Carson had transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) that he became more active in what he calls the "northern version of the southern struggle",[3] and continued with SNCC.

He speaks of that experience in his current writing, highlighting the importance of grassroots political activity within the African-American freedom struggle.

[citation needed] Carson has also written several books and articles regarding the Civil Rights Movement, and has made contributions to many more as well as documentaries, and interviews.

Carson eventually agreed to oversee the project mentioning that he would not have accepted the job if the family held control over Dr. King's works.

[9] In 2021, Carson was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a member of the newly formed Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board.