The Struggle for Human Rights and Equality: The Civil Rights Movement and its Leaders

The Civil Rights Movement in the USA The Civil Rights Movement in the USA refers in part to a set of noted events and reform movements that were aimed at abolishing public and private acts of racial discrimination and racism against Black/African Americans and other disadvantaged groups between 1954 to 1968, particularly in the southern USA.

From Slavery to Freedom? Abolitionists (anti-slavery activists) such as Frederick Douglas, John Brown and Harriet Tubman in their own ways worked to free Blacks/African Americans from slavery. Blacks had been freed from slavery in the 1865 in the USA.

From Slavery to Freedom? Under what would be come known as “Reconstruction” the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed all citizens with equal protection under the law and the Fifteenth Amendment said the right to vote shall not be denied on the basis of racialize identity.

Freedom to Segregation However, the Supreme Court decided in Plessy vs. Ferguson that separate institutions are okay if they are equal. The Jim Crow Laws (1876 and 1965) were thus created and they required that Blacks have separate public facilities with a supposedly “separate but equal" status for Black/African Americans.

The Jim Crow Laws In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for White Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages. Some examples of Jim Crow laws are the segregation (separation)of public schools, public places and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, restaurants and drinking fountains for Whites and Blacks.

Second Class Citizens Clearly, Blacks/African Americans were still treated as second class citizens in the 1950’s and 60’s. Segregation was practiced, especially in the Southern States. In the North, there was no true segregation, but Blacks were economically disadvantaged, lived in ghettos = a form of segregation.

Second Class Citizens Many Blacks/African Americans found it hard to vote because of difficult voter registration process. The registration was based on literacy. Inferior education hindered their development (literacy). The Ku Klux Klan (white supremacist hate group, 1865-Present), along with other racial groups, did not help matters for obvious reasons.

Civil Rights Organizations

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the US. Founded in 1909 by W.E.B. Dubois in Baltimore, Maryland. Its mission was and continues “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.”

SNCC Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) (often pronounced “snick”) emerged from a student meeting organized by Ella Baker at Shaw University (NC) in April 1960; one of the most important organizations. SNCC had many supporters/volunteers in the North who helped raise funds to support SNCC's work in the South, allowing full-time SNCC workers to have a $10 per week salary. Its major contribution was organizing voter registration drives all over the South, especially in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

CORE The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE is a US civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role Black/African Americans in the Civil Rights Movement. Membership in CORE is still stated to be open to "anyone who believes that 'all people are created equal' and is willing to work towards the ultimate goal of true equality throughout the world.” CORE was founded in Chicago in 1942 by James L. Farmer, Jr., George Houser, James R. Robinson, and Bernice Fisher.

Factors that Started the Movement

Factors: Starting the Movement 1954 the US Supreme Court ruled to desegregate schools. Civil Rights Act of 1954 – Desegregation. Brown vs. the Board of Education (Kansas) concluded that segregated schools were unconstitutional. The Court then desegregated parks, housing, beaches, buses, etc., but it would be a long time for society to embrace these laws.

Factors : Starting the Movement JFK began the movement by talking about equality – Lyndon B. Johnson passed JFK’s civil rights legislation (= Civil Rights Act of 1964) and created the Great Society = a set of programs that worked to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

Factors : Starting the Movement The Counterculture of the 1960’s allowed many young Black/African American activists to begin protests. Professional athletes like Jackie Robinson (baseball) and Mohammed Ali (boxing) proved they could be successful, and became spokespeople for the movement.

Essential Question: What were the goals and tactics of the different leaders of the Civil Rights Movement?

Civil Rights Leaders + Major Events in the Movement

Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in Robinson’s family moved to California after his father deserted the family. At the University of California in Los Angeles, Robinson starred in football, track, basketball and baseball. 42

Jackie Robinson In 1944, Robinson played in the Negro leagues on a team called the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1945, he played for a mixed League in The Montreal Royals. Branch Rickey, president and General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, noticed Robinson’s exceptional talent. 42

Playing for the Dodgers In 1946, Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson, at the age of 27, became the first Black baseball player in Major League history.

A Strange Choice Jackie Robinson was not exactly a logical choice to become the first Black American ball player: He was not a prospect - Robinson was already 27 when he entered the league. He had a somewhat inflammatory temper. Rickey believed that Robinson’s outspoken mentality would benefit the cause in the long run. However, Rickey did urge Robinson to maintain a level head in his first few years. Knowing the importance of his actions, Robinson listened.

Jackie’s Courage Jackie Robinson faced virulent racism: Members of his own team refused to play with him. Opposing pitchers tried to beam his head, while base runners tried to spike him. He received hate mail and death threats daily. Fans shouted racist remarks at him in every ball park. Hotels and restaurants refused to serve him.

Teammates One game in Cincinnati the crowd was especially insulting - they were yelling unimaginable insults at Jackie Robinson. Jackie’s teammate Pee Wee Reese recognized that the crowd was getting to Jackie. Pee Wee Reese walked across the field and put his arm around Jackie. The two smiled at each other. Their compassion silenced the crowd.

Jackie and Civil Rights Jackie Robinson’s actions effected the world far beyond Major League Baseball. His courage and discipline in standing up against racism were a preview of the actions taken by many members of The Civil Rights Movement. The success of the Jackie Robinson experiment was a testament to fact that integration could exist.

Jackie and Civil Rights Jackie Robinson Film: Official Trailer (2012) - The Jackie Robinson Story 1:46 minutes

Rosa Parks Rosa Parks was born on February 4, She grew up in Pine Level, Alabama, right outside of Montgomery. In the South, Jim Crow Laws segregated Black/African American’s and Whites in almost every aspect of life.

Rosa Parks This included a seating policy on buses = White’s sat in the front, Blacks sat in the back. Buses also drove White students to school = Black/African America students were forced to walk everyday.

Events Leading Up To Rosa’s Protest Parks was an active member of The Civil Rights Movement and joined the Montgomery chapter of NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in In 1944, Jackie Robinson refused to give up his bus seat in Texas.

Events Leading Up To Rosa’s Protest In 1955, Black activists in Montgomery were building a case around Claudette Colvin, a 15 year old girl, who refused to give up her seat on a bus. She was arrested and forcibly removed from the bus. African Americans made up 75% of the passengers in the bus system but still had to deal with unfair/racist rules.

The Arrest On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a White man on a bus. Parks was arrested and charged with the violation of a segregation law in the Montgomery City Code. 50 Black American leaders in the community met to discuss what to do about Rosa’s arrest.

The Arrest “People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” -Rosa Parks Autobiography

The Rosa Parks Story (2002) “Are you going to move?” 8G4sA 4:04 minutes

Montgomery Bus Boycott On December 5, 1955, through the rain, the Black/African Americans in Montgomery began to boycott the busses. 40,000 Black commuters walked to work, some as far as twenty miles. The boycott lasted 382 days. The bus companies finances struggled until the law that called for segregation on busses was finally lifted.

Sit-Ins Another non-violent tactic was practice in the 1960s. The Civil Rights Movement received an infusion of energy with a college/university student sit- ins. Sit in tactics included: Dress in you Sunday best. Be respectful to employees and police. Do not resist arrest! Do not fight back! Remember, journalists are everywhere!

Sit-Ins Students were ready to take your place if you had a class to attend. Not only were there sit-ins, there were: Swim ins (beaches, pools) Kneel ins (churches) Drive ins (at motels) Study-ins (universities)

The Freedom Riders Freedom Riders were Civil Rights activists that rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States. The Freedom Riders set out to challenge this status quo by riding various forms of public transportation in the South to challenge (racist) local laws or customs that enforced segregation. The first Freedom Ride left Washington, D.C. on May 4, 1961, and was scheduled to arrive in New Orleans on May 17.

Riders: Raising Awareness + Arrested The Freedom Rides, and the violent reactions they provoked, bolstered the credibility of the Civil Rights Movement, and called national attention to the violent disregard for the law that was used to enforce segregation in the southern United States. Riders were violently attacked and later arrested for trespassing, unlawful assembly, and violating state and local Jim Crow Laws, along with other alleged offenses.

Freedom Riders Trailer 2:16 minutes utube.com/wat ch?v=d8CAKA XR-AM

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in Graduated Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. Later, at Boston University, King received a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology.

Martin Luther King Jr. In 1953, at the age of 26, King became pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery Alabama. His start as a Civil Rights leader came during the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Boycott was the start to his incredible career as the most famous leader of the Civil Rights Movement.

Career As A Leader He went on to deliver numerous powerful speeches promoting peace and desegregation. During The March On Washington he delivered one of the most famous speeches of 20 th century titled, “I Have A Dream.” Before he was assassinated in 1968, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Civil Disobedience In 1957 King helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The SCLC used the authority and power of Black churches to organize non-violent protest to support the Civil Rights Movement. King believed in the philosophy used by Gandhi in India known as non-violent civil disobedience = he applied this philosophy to protest organized by the SCLC.

Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience led to media coverage of the daily inequities suffered by Southern Blacks. The televised segregation violence led to mass public sympathy. The Civil Rights Movement became the most important political topic during the early 60’s.

Letter From a Birmingham Jail King, wrote the letter after being arrested at a peaceful protest in Birmingham, Alabama:  The letter was in response to a letter sent to him by eight Alabama Clergymen called, “A Call For Unity.”  The men recognized that injustices were occurring in Birmingham but believed that the battles for freedom should be fought in the courtroom in not in the streets.  In the letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King justified civil disobedience by saying that without forceful action, true civil rights would never be achieved. Direct action is justified in the face of unjust laws.

Letters From a Birmingham Jail (cont.) In the letter King justifies civil disobedience in the town of Birmingham:  “I cannot sit idly in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  “There can be no gain saying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts.”  “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.”  “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.  “Wait has almost always meant 'never.‘”

March On Washington In 1963 more than 250,000 Black and White Americans celebrated in a joyous day of song, prayer and speeches. The March on Washington was lead by a group of important clergy men, civil rights leaders, and politicians. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech was the climax of the day.

I Have A Dream Speech In this powerful speech, Martin Luther King Jr. stated eloquently that he desired a world were Black’s and Whites to coexist equally. King’s speech was a rhetoric example of the Black Baptist sermon style. The speech used The Bible, The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution and The Emancipation Proclamation as sources. He also used an incredible number of symbols in his poetic address.

I Have A Dream Speech (cont.) The powerful words of Martin Luther King Jr.:  “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”  “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”  “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”  “Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” “I have a dream” speech + “Let freedom reign” speech 5:17 minutes

Little Rock High LRCHS (Little Rock Central High School) was the focal point of the Little Rock Integration Crisis of Nine Black/African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were denied entrance to the school in defiance of the 1954 US Supreme Court ruling ordering integration of public schools.

Little Rock High This provoked a showdown between the Governor Orval Faubus and President Eisenhower that gained international attention. On the morning of September 23, 1957, the nine Black/African American high school students faced an angry mob of over 1,000 White Americans protesting integration in front of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Little Incident As the students were escorted inside by the Little Rock police, violence escalated and they were removed from the school. The next day, President Eisenhower ordered the 1,200-man 101st Airborne Battle Group to escort the nine students into the school – the National Guard. The ad hoc TF153Inf assumed control at Thanksgiving and patrolled inside and outside the school for the remainder of the school year.

The Little Rock Nine The “Little Rock Nine” were Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed, and Melba Beals. As Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the nine students, remembered, and quoted in her book, "After three full days inside Central [High School], I know that integration is a much bigger word than I thought.” Ernest Green was the first Black American to graduate from Central High School.

Ruby Bridges  In 1960, at the age of 6, Ruby Bridges became the first Black/African American elementary school child to attend a White school.  Due to White opposition of integration, Ruby needed to be escorted to school by federal marshals.  After Ruby entered the school, many of the teachers refused to teach and many of the White students went home.  Ruby went to school everyday.

Ruby Bridges The Problem We All Live With, By Norman Rockwell (1964)

Malcolm X X Malcolm X (Malcolm Little) was born May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. X Malcolm Little was the son of a Baptist preacher who urged Blacks/African Americans to stand up for their rights. X His father was killed by White Supremacists in Michigan, in 1931.

Malcolm X X After time, Malcolm moved to Harlem where he became involved in gambling, drug dealing, and robbery. X Malcolm was arrested at the age of 20 for armed robbery. X In jail he studied the teaching of the Elijah Muhammad.

Elijah Muhammad X Elijah Muhammad was the leader of the mostly Black political and religious group The Nation Of Islam (NOI):  His teachings, often perceived as racist, preached complete separation from Whites in society.

Elijah Muhammad  He often expressed the idea the Blacks were the first people to rule the world and that the Whites tricked them out of power and oppressed them.  Young Malcolm X developed his adept speaking skills and political ideas under the direction of Elijah Muhammad.

Nation Of Islam X The Nation Of Islam (NOI) was an activist group that believed that most Black/African slaves were originally Muslim. X The NOI urged Black/African Americans to reconvert to Islam in effort to restore the heritage that was stolen from them.

Nation Of Islam X The NOI wanted to create a second Black Nation within the United States. X The “X” in Malcolm’s name symbolizes the rejection of his slave name.

Malcolm X: The Activist X Malcolm X made constant accusations of racism and demanded violent actions of self defense. X He constantly retold the injustices his people suffered in the past.

Malcolm X: The Activist X Malcolm X gathered widespread admiration from African American’s and wide spread fear from Whites. X However, many White college students could not ignore the harsh realities of his preaching's.

Malcolm X Speaks, 1965 X “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.” X “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it.” X “You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”

Tension In The Nation Of Islam X By the start of the 60’s tension was growing in The Nation of Islam:  Malcolm X was exposed to rumors that Elijah Muhammad had indulged in extramarital affairs.  Adultery is shunned in the Muslim doctrine.

Tension In The Nation Of Islam X Malcolm believed that Elijah Muhammad was jealous of his increasing popularity. X The Nation of Islam blamed Malcolm X for his controversial remarks regarding John F. Kennedy.

The JFK Controversy X After the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X made a speech:  Malcolm claimed that the violence Kennedy failed to prevent ended up to come back and claim his life.  He stated that assassination was an example of “the chickens coming home to roost"  He later stated, "Chickens coming home to roost never made me sad. It only made me glad."  This comment lead to widespread public dismay.

Pilgrimage to Mecca X In 1964, during a pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm discovered that orthodox Muslims preached equality among races. X Malcolm’s new knowledge and growing distrust with the NOI, caused him to desert his argument that all Whites were the devil.

Pilgrimage to Mecca X Malcolm X never abandoned his theory that racism had destroyed the nation and that only Blacks could free themselves. X In 1965 Malcolm X was assassinated by Talmadge Hayer, a Nation of Islam member at a New York City rally.

Malcolm X Quotes (On King) X He got the peace prize, we got the problem.... If I'm following a general, and he's leading me into a battle, and the enemy tends to give him rewards, or awards, I get suspicious of him. Especially if he gets a peace award before the war is over. X I'll say nothing against him. At one time the whites in the United States called him a racialist, and extremist, and a Communist. Then the Black Muslims came along and the whites thanked the Lord for Martin Luther King. X I want Dr. King to know that I didn't come to Selma to make his job difficult. I really did come thinking I could make it easier. If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King. X Dr. King wants the same thing I want -- freedom!

Malcolm X Video Clips We are people who formerly were Africans: DXPpfGAZrU&feature=related We demand our human rights: 8P3Qn9ZRs&feature=related Film: Malcolm X, 2000, by Spike Lee staring Denzel Washington as Malcolm X

Birmingham,

The Birmingham Campaign, The Birmingham Campaign was a strategic movement organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to bring attention to the unequal treatment that Black/African Americans endured in Birmingham, Alabama. The campaign ran during the spring of 1963, culminating in widely publicized confrontations between Black/African American youth and White civic authorities, that eventually pressured the municipal government to change the city's discrimination laws.

Birmingham Campaign, Organizers, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., used nonviolent direct action tactics to defy laws they considered unfair. King summarized the philosophy of the Birmingham campaign when he said: "The purpose of... direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation."

National Voting Rights Act of 1965 The National Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible the disenfranchisement of Blacks. The Act prohibited states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color."

National Voting Rights Act of 1965 Specifically, Congress intended the Act to outlaw the practice of requiring otherwise qualified voters to pass literacy tests in order to register to vote, a principal means by which Southern states had prevented Black/African Americans from exercising the franchise. The Act was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Selma to Montgomery Marches, Alabama: 1965

Selma to Montgomery Marches, 1965 The Selma to Montgomery Marches were three marches in 1965 that marked the political and emotional peak of the American Civil Rights Movement. They grew out of the voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama, launched by local Black/African-Americans who formed the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL).

Selma to Montgomery Marches, 1965 In 1963, the DCVL and organizers from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee(SNCC) began voter-registration work. When White resistance to Black/African America voter registration proved intractable, the DCVL requested the assistance of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, who brought many prominent civil rights and civic leaders to support voting rights.

Bloody Sunday, 1965

The Beginning of Bloody Sunday, 1965 In January and February 1965, there were nightly protests in Selma and Marion that were met with mass arrests but little violence until a state trooper shot and killed 26 year old Jimmie Lee Jackson as he tried to protect his mother and grandfather. In response to Jackson’s death, activists in Selma and Marion set out on 7 March, to march from Selma to the state capitol in Montgomery.

Bloody Sunday, 1965 The marchers made their way through Selma across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they faced a blockade of state troopers and local lawmen who ordered the marchers to disperse. When they did not, the lawmen were ordered to advance. Cheered on by white onlookers, the troopers attacked the crowd with billy clubs and tear gas, and mounted police chased retreating marchers and continued to beat them.

Bloody Sunday The 1 st March, 1965 This first march took place on March 7, 1965 — it is known "Bloody Sunday" — when 600 civil rights marchers were attacked by state and local police. This attack, which was televised, triggered a national outrage, and initiated a call from the Civil Rights Leaders went out to have all religious leaders join the next peaceful, non-violent march for freedom – they came as did many others.

The 2 nd March, 1965 The second march took place on March 9. King (who had now joined the protest) proceeded to the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He led more than 2,000 marchers, including hundreds of clergy who had answered King’s call on short notice, to the site of Sunday’s attack, then stopped and asked them to kneel and pray. After prayers they rose and turned the march back to Selma, avoiding another confrontation with state troopers.

The 2 nd March, 1965 On the eve of the second march (March 9), several local Whites attacked James Reeb, a White Unitarian Minister who had come from Massachusetts to join the protest. His death two days later contributed to the rising national concern over the situation in Alabama.

The Second March, 1965

The 3 rd March, 1965 On 15 March, President Johnson addressed the Congress, identifying himself with the demonstrators in Selma in a televised address: ‘‘Their cause must be our cause too. Because it is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome’’. The third march, which began on March 21, lasted five days, and made it to the state capital of Montgomery, 51 miles (82 km) away.

The 3 rd March, 1965 The federally sanctioned march from Selma on 21 March was/had to be protected by federalized Alabama National Guardsmen and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.

The 3 rd March, 1965 The marchers averaged 10 miles (16 km) a day along U.S. Route 80, known in Alabama as the "Jefferson Davis Highway". Protected by 2,000 soldiers of the U.S. Army, 1,900 members of the Alabama National Guard under Federal command, and many FBI agents and Federal Marshals, they arrived in Montgomery on March 24, and at the Alabama Capitol building on March 25.

The Voting Rights Act, 1965 On 6 August, in the presence of King and other civil rights leaders, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of Recalling ‘‘the outrage of Selma,’’ Johnson called the right to vote ‘‘the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men’’.

AMAZING GRACE – by John Newton Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see. 'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear And Grace my fears relieved How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come 'Tis Grace has brought me safe thus far And Grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures. Yet, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within the veil, A life of joy and peace. When we've been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we've first begun.

Selma to Montgomery Marches Selma (2014) Selma Official Trailer atch?v=x6t7vVTxaic 2:32 minutes

Black Power Black Power is a term that emphasizes racial pride and the desire for Black Americans to achieve equality. The term promotes the creation of Black political and social institutions. Stokely Carmichael

Black Power The term was popularized by Stokely Carmichael during The Civil Rights Movement. Many SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) members were becoming critical of leaders that articulated non-violent responses to racism. Stokely Carmichael

Tommie Smith and John Carlos Tommie Smith and John Carlos give the Black Power salute at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. The two men were suspended by the United States team and banned from Olympic village. The action is considered a milestone of the Civil Rights Movement.

Black Panther Party U.S. Black/African American Civil Rights Militant group that was founded in 1966 in Oakland, California. Led by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. Believed violent revolution was the only way to receive freedom = urged Black/African Americans to arm themselves.

The Violent Panthers In the late 60’s party leaders got involved in violent confrontations with the police.  The result was death on both sides.

The Violent Panthers Huey Newton was tried in 1967 for killing a police officer and jailed. In 1989 he was shot and killed in Oakland, California. Black Panther activist Bobby Seale, was a member of the Chicago Eight (A group of eight people who disrupted – rioted at - the 1968 Democratic convention) he was tried and jailed.

Conclusion During The American Civil Rights Movement many different and unique leaders and groups came to power. Some preached violence, some preached peace, some preached protest and some preached resilience. However, every leader had one thing in common: they all wanted freedom and they all wanted equality for their race.

Today we celebrate the leaders struggles because it was there work that got us to the point we are at. Yet, not everything is completely equal. But it is clear that we have come a long way since Martin Luther King Jr. marched in Washington and cried out, “I Have A Dream.” We need to finish what was started! Today

Systemic racism; deeply rooted racism/white privilege in the USA; government, activists + citizens have to keep pushing for reform in education, economic opportunities, law, policing, politics, and social equality. Having a Black president has not changed racism in the USA – it’s not as easy a that. Today

Black Lives Matter is a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black/African America life. This organization is working to (re)build the Black liberation movement. This is Not a Moment, but a Movement. Today

#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was post-humously placed on trial for his own murder. Rooted in the experiences of Black people in this country who actively resist our de- humanization, #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti- Black racism that permeates our society. Today

August 9, 2014: Ferguson, Missouri = fatal shooting of Michael Brown on August 9; the 18-year-old man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a Ferguson police officer. The unrest sparked a vigorous debate about law enforcement's relationship with Black/African-Americans, and police use of force doctrine in Missouri and nationwide (curfews, riot squads); met with peaceful protests, looting and violent unrest. Today

The unrest continued on November 24, 2014, after a grand jury decided not to indict the police officer who shot Michael Brown. The United States Department of Justice is investigating the Ferguson Police Department for possible misconduct or discrimination. Today

Demonstrators protested across the nation in locations including New York City (New York), Seattle (Washington), Portland (Oregon), Davidson (North Carolina), and Tampa (Florida). “This isn’t going to be solved overnight,” President Obama said, adding that “America has made progress on civil rights in the last 50 years”. Today

July 17, 2014: Staten Island, New York - Eric Garner died in Staten Island, New York, after a police officer (Daniel Pantaleo) put him in a chokehold. The New York City Medical Examiner's Office concluded that Garner died partly as a result of the chokehold. Today

New York City Police Department (NYPD) policy prohibits the use of chokeholds, and law enforcement personnel contend that it was a headlock and that no choking took place. The Staten Island Grand Jury decided not to indict Pantaleo on December 3, Today

People in New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Minneapolis, Berkley, Atlanta and London (England) gathered in protest, demonstrating with several marches and die-ins. #icantbreathe s6NroMhttps:// s6NroM (3:19) Today

December 20, 2014: New York City - two NYPD officers were killed in an ambush in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The suspected gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, "declared his intention on his Instagram account to kill police officers as retribution for the recent police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner". The suspect, who has a long criminal record, then entered the New York City Subway and committed suicide. Today

New York City Police Department (NYPD) policy prohibits the use of chokeholds, and law enforcement personnel contend that it was a headlock and that no choking took place. Dec Grand Jury in New York refused to indict a white police officer for the choke-hold death of a black man. Today

Selma (2014) 12 Years A Slave (2013) The March (2013) Freedom Summer (2013) Freedom Riders (2010) Films of Interest

Soundtrack for a Revolution (2009) The Rosa Parks Story (2002) 4 Little Girls (1997) All Power to the People (1996) Malcom X (1992) Films of Interest

Civil Rights Timeline: Glogster /civil-rights-timeline-2/