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1950s
1954: Brown v. Board of Education: The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, sparking the Civil Rights Movement. 1955: Montgomery Bus Boycott: Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger sparked a year-long boycott, led by the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) with Martin Luther King Jr. at its helm. -
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Early 1960s
1960: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) is founded by young activists, including Ella Baker, to coordinate sit-ins and other nonviolent protests. 1961: Freedom Rides: Activists, including members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), rode buses through the South to challenge segregation on interstate buses. 1962: James Meredith becomes the first African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi, supported by the NAACP and local activists. -
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1963
April: Birmingham Campaign: Led by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and local activists. June: Medgar Evers, a prominent civil rights activist, is assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi, sparking national outrage. August: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Organized by a coalition of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations. -
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The Aftermath
1964: Civil Rights Act: President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. 1965: Selma to Montgomery March: Led by MLK Jr., John Lewis, and others, this march aimed to demand voting rights and resulted in the Voting Rights Act later that year.