Black Movements in Africa and the Diaspora

1. The Civil Rights Movement
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must
be demanded by the oppressed.”
~Dr. Martin Luther King~

2. The Civil Rights Movement
• An organized effort by Black
Americans to end racial
discrimination and gain equal rights
under the law.
• It began in the 1950’s and ended in
the late 1960’s.
• It was caused by racism, segregation,
disenfranchisement, Jim Crow laws,
and socioeconomic inequality.

3. Five Civil Rights
 The right to vote
 The right to a fair trial
 The right to government
services.
 The right to a public education.
 The right to use public
facilities.

4. Most Important Civil Rights Movement
“March on Washington”
 The largest civil rights protest for
jobs and freedom in US History on
August 28,1963.
 Contributed to the successful
implementation of the “Civil
Rights Act of 1964” and the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.
 Dr. Martin Luther King delivered
his iconic “I Have a Dream”
speech on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial.

5. Major Events of Civil Rights Movement
“Montgomery Bus Boycott”
 1955- Born after Rosa Parks was
arrested for refusing to give up
her seat on a bus in
Montgomery, Alabama to a white
male passenger.

6. Major Events of Civil
Rights Movement
“Albany Movement”
 1961 - Movement that
protested the
segregation policies in
Albany, Georgia.

7. Major Events of Civil Rights Movement
“Birmingham Campaign”
 1963 – The goal of the campaign
was to end discriminatory
economic policies in the
Alabama city against African
American residents.

8. Major Events of Civil Rights Movement
“Bloody Sunday”
 1965 –The march that went
down in history as Bloody
Sunday for the violent beatings
state troopers inflicted on
protesters as they attempted to
march peacefully from Selma,
Alabama to state capital,
Montgomery. March was aimed
at fighting the lack of voting
rights for African Americans.

9. Major Events of Civil Rights Movement
“Chicago Freedom Movement”
• 1965 – Also called “The Chicago
Open Housing Movement” was
formed to protest segregated
housing, educational deficiencies,
and employment and health
disparities based on racism.

10. Major Events of Civil Rights Movement
“Vietnam War Opposition”
 1967 – Many groups and
individuals vehemently opposed
the “Vietnam War” in the
massive peace movement of
1960’s and 70’s

11. Major Events of Civil Rights Movement
“Poor People’s Campaign”
 1968 – The goal of Poor People’s
Campaign was to gain more
economic and human rights for
poor Americans from all
backgrounds.
 A multicultural movement, the
campaign included Asian
Americans, Mexican Americans,
Puerto Ricans, Native Americans
and whites along with African
Americans.

12. Civil Rights Activists
“Ida B. Wells”
(1862-1931)
 She used investigative reporting
to shed light on the horrors of
the lynching of Black Americans
in the Jim Crow South.
 Co-founder of NAACP and
worked alongside Susan B.
Anthony during women’s
suffrage movement.

13. “W.E.B. Du Bois”
(1868-1963)
 Sociologist, historian, and editor who
co-founded the NAACP in 1909.
 Harvard graduate who was also the
founder and editor of magazine The
Crisis.
 He encouraged integration and Black
nationalism, values in direct opposition
to the more conservative civil rights
leader Booker T. Washington.
Civil Rights Activists

14. “A. Philip Randolph”
(1889-1979)
 A trade unionist and passionate civil
rights advocate.
 Created the first successful Black
trade union and led them to
acceptance into the American
Federation of Labor.
 He was a director for 1963’s March
on Washington.
Civil Rights Activists

15. “Dorothy Height”
(1912-2010)
 President of the National Council of Negro
Women (NCNW) and leading voice for Black
women during civil rights movement.
 She advocated for criminal justice reform and
was vocal about the tragedies of lynching in the
South.
 She was on the speaker’s stage at the 1963
March on Washington representing the only
women’s group involved in the demonstration.
 In 1994, she was honored with the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, and in 2004 given the
Congressional Gold Medal.
Civil Rights Activists

16. “Rosa Parks”
(1913-2005)
 Rosa Park’s name is synonymous with the peak of
the American Civil Rights Movement which stems
from December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama
when Rosa refused to give up her seat at the front
of the bus to a white passenger.
 Despite her arrest, her bravery sparked the famous
Montgomery Bus Boycott which led to segregation
of buses being deemed unconstitutional.
 She had a passion for social justice and was
secretary of the Montgomery Chapter of the NAACP.
 In 1996, she was honored with the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, and in 1997 given the
Congressional Gold Medal.
Civil Rights Activists

17. By Any Means Necessary
“Malcolm X”
(1925-1965)
 A prominent leader and voice in
the Nation of Islam/Sunni Islam
who preached ideals of Black
nationalism and independence.
 His words of white people being
innately evil and Black people
being superior fueled the Black
Power movement in 1960’s and
1970’s.
 He softened his more extreme
views and formed the
Organization of Afro-American
Unity in hopes of globalizing the
Black American fight.

18. I Have A Dream Speech
“Martin Luther King, Jr.”
(1929-1968)
 An African American Baptist minister
and activist who was the most visible
spokesman and leader in the American
Civil Rights Movement from 1955 until
his assassination in 1968.
 He advanced civil rights through
nonviolence and civil disobedience,
inspired by his Christian beliefs and
nonviolent activism.
 He participated in and led marches for
blacks’ right to vote, desegregation,
labor rights, and other civil rights.
 He led the 1955 Montgomery bus
boycott and the 1963 March on
Washington.

19. Civil Rights Activist
“Julian Bond”
(1940-2015)
 A Morehouse graduate who was a
prominent and outspoken figure of
the civil rights movement.
 While an HBCU student, he co-
founded the Student Nonviolent
Coordination Committee (SNCC)
alongside John Lewis.
 A member of the Georgia General
Assembly for 20 years and elected
to the Georgia House of
Representatives in 1965.
 Co-founder of the Southern Poverty
Law Center and Chairman of the
NAACP.

20. “John Lewis”
(1940-2020)
 A pillar for social justice and a staunch
advocate for nonviolent civil rights
demonstrations.
 One of the “Big 6” of the civil rights
movement and the youngest speaker and
organizer of the March on Washington.
 He led the march from Selma to Montgomery,
Alabama where he was brutally attacked.
 In 1986, he was elected to the House of
Representatives in Georgia’s 5th district and
held that position until his death.
Civil Rights Activist

21. Civil Rights Organizations
Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee
(SNCC)
 Established in April 1960 at
Shaw University for South
planning sit-ins, voter
registration drives, and
protest.

22. Civil Rights Organizations
Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE)
 Established in 1942 in Chicago
and membership was open to
believers of equality for all
people. The leaders applied
principles of nonviolence as
strategy against oppression.

23. Civil Rights Organizations
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP)
 Oldest and most recognized civil
rights organization in U.S.
 More than 500,000 members who
worked locally and nationally to
ensure political, educational, social,
and economic equality for all and to
eliminate racial hatred and
discrimination.
 They helped to integrate public
schools in South through the Brown v.
Board of Education.

24. Civil Rights Organizations
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC)
 Closely associated with Martin Luther
King, Jr. it was established in 1957
following success of Montgomery Bus
Boycott.
 SCLC didn’t recruit individual members
but worked with local organizations and
churches to build membership.
 SCLC sponsored citizenship schools
established by Septima Clark, the Albany
Movement, Selma Voting Rights March,
and the Birmingham Campaign.

25. Civil Rights Movies
SELMA THE BUTLER MALCOLM X

26. News Articles
Library of Congress (Digital Collections)
Articles: Civil Rights History Project (Articles and Essays)
Website: https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-
project/articles-and-essays/

27. Quotes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish
together as fools.”
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in
moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands
at times of challenge and controversy.”

28. My Perspective
The trailblazers of the Civil Rights Movement were people
of tenacity and courage with determination to fight for
equality of Black and Brown people and to eliminate
racial hatred and discrimination.
 Although we have come a long way, we still have a long
way to go. Racism is ever present, and it will never cease
because it’s taught behavior. We are still living in times
where the balance beam is unbalanced. We, as an
African-American race are charged with the responsibility
to stand on the heels of our trailblazers and continue to
fight for our rights.