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Brown v. BOE
Brown v Board of Education is the case of 20 parents filing a lawsuit against the BOE in Topeka for Topeka schools having racial segregation. This group was headed by Oliver Brown, father of Linda Brown, who had to walk 6 blocks to a bus stop to get to school even though a school was within 7 blocks of her house. This case eventually overturned Plessy v Ferguson's "separate but equal" outcome and was a stepping stone in ending racial segregation and the civil rights movement. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a reaction to the arrest of Rosa Parks. The boycott promoted the idea that all the black citizens in Montgomery should not use public transit so long as Jim crow laws were intact. Many would carpool or walk to work, and black taxi drivers tried to lower prices in solidarity with those boycotting, though they would face fines. A pastor named Martin Luther King Jr was a key figure in the boycott. In November 1956 the segregation of buses was labeled unconstitutional. -
Little Rock 9 and the Desegregation of Schools
The Little Rock 9 is the case in which 9 Black students were barred from being allowed to enter all white schools. These 9 students were barred by order of the governor of Arkansas with help from the Arkansas national guard. This was in direct opposition to the president showing that the south was still deeply entrenched in segregationist policies despite the Little Rock 9 case happening after Brown v BOE. Eventually the case Cooper v Aaron would overturn the BOE excuse of limited desegregation -
The Sit-In Movement
The sit in movement was a student lead non violent protest movement in the early 60s. started by Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, Jr., David Richmond, and Franklin McCain, they would sit at the "whites only" counter at diners as a non violent way to attract attention and bring light to the discrimination. These sit in movements would later lead to the creation of many student groups such as the SNCC. -
Freedom Riders
The freedom riders were groups of civil rights advocates who rode interstate buses from the north into the south as a way to challenge the still segregated public transportation. This would lead to many violent attacks towards the groups and even in one case a bombing attempt. Many would also get arrested for their actions, though the groups efforts would lead to investigations into segregation in transportation. -
James Meredith and the Desegregation of Southern Universities
James Meredith was a African American student who applied to the University of Mississippi in 1961. He was denied twice and with the help of the NAACP filed a lawsuit. This would go through the courts and Meredith would eventually be allowed to enroll. THere was rioting at the university because of this and Meredith was given protection by US marshals and Federal officers -
The March on Washington
The March on Washington was a peaceful march coalescing at the Lincoln Memorial. The march was to promote the civil rights bill and bettering jobs for African Americans. The most known part of the March was the "I have a dream speech" delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. The march had about 250,000 participants and was a catalyst for passing the civil rights act of 1964 -
Voter Registration Among Minorities
even though African Americans were given the right to vote there was still terrorization of many rural blacks trying to register. During the civil rights movement there was a push to help register and protect many of these vulnerable communities. One such action was the Selma marches where many marched in Selma to help register black voters. The brutality done by police to these marchers would help pass the voting rights bill. -
Malcolm X and the Civil Rights Movement
Malcolm X represented a very different stance in the civil rights movement. He was a criminal in his adolescence before joining the nation of Islam while in jail. With the nation of Islam he would become a promenate speaker in a more radical section of the civil rights movement. They pushed for black nationalism and self defense, in stark contrast with MLKs non violent approach. Malcolm X would be killed by a NoI member in 1965 after he denounced the NoI.