Clayborne Carson is an American history academic and educator, Martin Luther King Jr. Centennial Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, and founder of the university's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. Since 1985, at Coretta Scott King's request, Carson has directed the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project, which edits and publishes King's papers. Among the books under the name are African American Lives: The Struggle for Freedom, Volume I, a history of the African American fight for freedom, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., and A Knock at Midnight, a collection of essays Carson edited.
