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Brown v. Board of education
On May 17, 1954 in Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware District of Columbia. A landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court case, Plessy v Ferguson ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality. Oliver Brown, father of Linda Brown, NAACP were involved. -
Murder of Emmett Till
On August 28, 1955 in Money, Mississippi two Mississippians murdered Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy, for whistling at a white woman, which was Carolyn Bryant. Their ego and boasting of the disaster resulted in the civil rights cause. It was the women’s husband, Roy Bryant, and brother-in-law, J.W. Milam who murdered him. Emmett’s mother decided to have an open casket funeral. -
Rosa Parks and the bus boycott
On Dec, 1, 1955, Rosa Parks went through and endured the struggle for racial equality when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa was arrested for disorderly conduct. The Montgomery boycott was started after her arrest and lasted 381 days. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The SCLC was an organization linked to the black churches. 60 black ministers were pivotal in organizing civil right activism. Martin Luther king jr was elected president. They focused its non violent strategy on citizenship, schools, efforts to desegregate individual cities. It played key roles in the March on Washington in 1963 the Selma voting rights campaign and March to Montgomery in 1965 -
Little Rock 9
They were a group of nine Black students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Despite the ruling, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus initially used the National Guard to prevent the students from entering the school. This led President Dwight D. Eisenhower to intervene by sending federal troops from the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students and ensure their safety. The NAACP was involved. -
Greensboro Sit ins
These were a series of nonviolent protests against racial segregation at lunch counters in Greensboro, North Carolina. Four Black college student sat down at a whites-only lunch counter at Woolworth’s and requested service. When they were refused, they remained seated in protest. They could buy items but not be served food. On February third there were 60 students. On February 4 there were 300 students. On February 5 the protestors were confronted by 50 men. -
Ruby Bridges
She was the first Black child to integrate an all-white elementary school in the South. At just six years old, she was one of four black children to go to this school. She had to pass a hard test in order to attend the school. Ruby walked into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, escorted by federal marshals due to violent opposition from segregationists. Ruby was the only student taught by one teacher. -
Freedom Riders
They were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States to challenge non-enforcement of Supreme Court rulings that banned segregation on public buses and facilities. There were 436 individuals on 60 separate rides. The groups consisted of CORE, SNCC, Northville student movement. They left Washington, D.C., planning to travel through the South to New Orleans. They faced violent attacks, including beatings and bus bombings. -
March On Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in Washington, D.C. It was one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in U.S. history, with over 250,000 people gathering at the Lincoln Memorial to demand racial equality, economic justice, and civil rights legislation. It was a peaceful and respectful protest. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech was given and it was the last speech of the day. He spoke of a future without racial discrimination. -
Civil Rights Act (1964)
Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson it aimed to end segregation and discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Banned segregation in public places (restaurants, theaters, hotels, private businesses, public facilities). Martin Luther King was also involved in the civil rights act. -
Assassination of Malcom X
Minister and civil rights activist Malcolm X, 39, was shot to death inside Harlem's Audubon Ballroom in New York. (Three men identified as members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of murder and imprisoned they were all were eventually paroled. Thomas Hagan, Norman 3x Butler and Thomas 15x Johnson were involved. He was the leader in the Nation of Islam (NOI). He Became a minister and spokesperson as well. Preached Black nationalism, self-sufficiency, and resistance. -
Selma to Montgomery Marches (Bloody Sunday)
A march held in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 for the 600 people attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It was there that law enforcement officers beat unarmed marchers with billy clubs and sprayed them with tear gas. This was the second March to happen. John Lewis from the SCLC was involved in the March. -
Voting Rights Act (1965)
It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson following intense activism. It banned literacy tests, poll tax and other discriminatory voting practices used to prevent Black citizens from voting. Voting is a federal matter, not a state matter. -
Assassaination of Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King was shot dead while standing on a balcony outside his second floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was staying while supporting a sanitation workers' strike for better wages and working conditions. News of King’s assassination prompted major outbreaks of racial violence, resulting in more than 40 deaths nationwide and extensive property damage in over 100 American cities. James earl Ray was the one who assassinated Martin Luther King.