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Brown vs. Board of Education
On May 17, 1954 it was decided by the court that segregation of schools would be banned in 21 states. This set the course for many changes in the future. Although African American students still faced racism for very many years following the decision, it was a major step towards the future of civil rights. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus and was arrested. This in turn had many drastic effects on America. The Montgomery Bus Boycott would start soon after this. The leader of The Women’s Political Council was quoted saying, "...the women of Montgomery will call for a boycott to take place on Monday, December 5.” That day, the boycott was held, and Rosa Parks was tried in court. The turnout was very plentiful and succesful. Rosa Parks was found guilty. -
Emmett Till murder
In August 1995 Emmett Till, a 14 year old boy, was sent by his mother to visit relatives in Mississippi. On August 28 Emmett was kidnapped from his uncle’s house. Three days later his body was found floating in the Tallahatchie River. He had been beaten extremely badly and shot in the head. His body was so disfigured that they wanted him to have an open casket to show people what was done to this boy in pure racism and hate. -
Desegregation at Little Rock
"On September 4, 1957, Governor Orval Faubus defied the court, calling in the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine African American students--"The Little Rock Nine"--from entering the building." Later he agreed to let troops protect the children, but then dissmissed them and the students were bombarded by an angry white mob. They threw bricks at the students and the school and the following year the Governor closed down the high schools. -
Freedom Rides
CORE organized multiple occasions in which black people and white people would switch places. This would consist of black people riding in the front of buses while white people rode in the back. When they would exit the buses in the south, the white people would sit in the black lobbys and vice versa. -
Mississippi Riot
"In Oxford, Mississippi, James H. Meredith, an African American, is escorted onto the University of Mississippi campus by U.S. Marshals, setting off a deadly riot. Two men were killed before the racial violence was quelled by more than 3,000 federal soldiers." -
Birmingham
Dr. King wanted to make a new project and get another victory because of the recent loss, so him and the SCLC organized a protest in front of a church. This resulted in over 45 people getting arrested and a dog attacking on of the protestors. Dr. King was also arrested soon after. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington contained 250,000 people who did a peaceful demonstration “to promote Civil Rights” and equality for African Americans. They gathered at the Lincoln Monument and sang songs, said speeches, and prayed. This event was televised live so millions could watch every moment, one big one being Martin Luther’s “I Have a Dream” speech. -
Selma
On March 7, 1965 around 600 people marched down U.S. Route 80. While they were there, they were attacked by policemen in the area. Two days later Martin Luther King Jr. led another march to the bridge. They then sought court protection for their third march from Selma to Montgomery. The court ruled in favor of them and on March 21, about 3,200 people marched and by the time they were in Montgomery they had grown to 25,000 people. -
School attendance based on race
This chart shows the amount of black students attending white schools from 1954-2011. Towards the end of the 1960's it can be noticed that the rate increases. It increases very fast and then continues to increase all the way until 1988. This is a lot of progress especially since the 1960's were very harsh and events like the little rock nine happened just shortly before the rates started increasing. This is a huge result of the Brown vs. Board of Education case. -
Yvonne Miller
Yvonne Miller is the first African American elected to the House of Delegates. She later became the first African-American woman elected to the Senate of Virginia as well as chair a General Assembly committee. -
John Charles Thomas
On April 11, 1983 John Charles Thomas became the first African American appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia. Thomas was educated at the University of Virginia, where he graduated with distinction in 1972. He earned his J.D. from UVA Law in 1975. -
L. Douglas Wilder
Lawrence Douglas Wilder was the grandson of a former slave, showing how much things changed over two generations. He wanted to go into the navy but his parents did not want him to so he went to school instead and majored in chemistry. After graduating he was drafted in the army to fight in the korean war. He got into politics in 1969 and from there became the first African American state senator in Virginia state. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The civil rights movement and things like Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech paved the way for new acts and bills such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. "The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else." -
March on Washington anniversary march
Every five years there is an anniversary march held to prove that “although African Americans have made great strides forward, there is still much to be done.” This encourages people to speak out about their rights and equality even though we have come so far. No matter what there will always be more that can be done. -
Newspaper to end segregation
"On November 13, a Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial proposed that the segregation of Virginia's streetcars and buses be discontinued." -
Leroy R. Hassell Sr.
On February 11, Leroy Rountree Hassell Sr. was sworn in as the first African American chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Leroy attended Harvard to be a lawyer. He was very smart and served as chief justice for 12 years. He is the first African American to lie in state in the Capitol in the former capital of the Confederacy along with Thomas J. Jackson. -
Richmond Slavery Reconciliation Statue
"On March 31, the Richmond Slavery Reconciliation Statue was unveiled not far from the site of a former slave market. The bronze sculpture by Stephen Broadbent matches two other reconciliation statues erected in Liverpool, England, and in Benin, West Africa." -
Obama elected
Obama was the first black U.S. president to be elected. Attached is a picture of his inauguration. This was a huge deal because the only presidents before him had been white males. Since the 1960's and the civil rights movement a lot has changed for the better and Obama being elected is a very good start to the future of civil rights.
(Primary source quote is in my information organizer).
