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Rosa Parks - First Lady of Civil Rights
Rosa Parks was one of the first African Americans to defy the rules for blacks. She was on a city bus and refused to give up her seat in the colored section to a white person For this action, she was arrested for civil disobedience. She and her family suffered for this decision because she lost her job. She became active in the civil rights movement. For many years she helped others and took care of her mother. Later in life she founded the Rosa L. Parks Scholarship Foundation. -
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Civil Rights Movement
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Freedom Riders
The Freedom Riders were a group of black and white young people that took to riding buses across the south promoting acceptance of all people no matter what color. They were attacked in many cities and their buses burned. The white people travelling were harassed by their own for travelling with the blacks. It took real courage for them to stand up for what they believed was right. -
MLK I Have a Dream Speech
In August of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood before 250,000 people in Washington and gave a speech about freedom and rights for all mankind. He was a very charismatic speaker and preached about peaceful resolution to discrimination. -
Malcolm X Assassinated
On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assasinated by men identified as Black Muslims. He was 39 years old. Like Dr. King, he was a very outspoken promoter of civil rights. His ways were a little different though. He promoted violence as the way to bring about the change needed in society. He felt that was the only way to make the white people change. -
MLK Assassinated
On April 4, 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King was assasinated at his hotel. He will killed by James Earl Ray. Ray was very outspoken about his prejudices. Years later, many people believe that the U.S. government was responsible for MLK's death and that Ray was their scapegoat. Ray died in prison at the at of 70.
