Civil Rights Movement

Malcom X Refusing to endorse non-violence and telling black audiences their goal should be separation from white society, not integration into it. Malcolm X was assassinated by members of the NOI (Nation of Islam) in New York City in 1965.

James Meredith Armed with a federal court order, attempted to register for classes at the previously all white University of Mississippi. Blocked by state officials and violent mobs, he was only able to enroll after a call from president Kennedy who sent in federal troops.

Rosa Parks She refused to vacate her seat for a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This started a boycott that lasted 381 days and brought an end to bus segregation.

Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmicheal) Carmichael issued the first call for “Black Power”. He changed his name to reflect his African heritage. He left the civil rights movement’s commitment to non-violence, and joined the Black Panther Party in 1968.

The Black Panthers (Political Party for Self-Defense) Bobby Seale – Led a May 1967 demonstration of the right to carry weapons at the California state legislature, for which he was arrested. He had great oratory skills with distinct wit and imaginative humor. Huey Newton – He was attending law school and was well versed in constitutional rights. He became the party's minister of defense and participated in monitoring the Oakland Police.

CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) In 1942, the organization held America's first organized sit-in in Chicago. CORE broadened its reach in 1961 by sending racially mixed groups of passengers on “Freedom Rides” to desegregate interstate buses. Three of its members were murdered in Mississippi during a voter registration rally.

Little Rock Nine A group of courageous black students who integrated the Arkansas capital city’s high school in Initially thwarted by violent white mobs and National Guard troops, the students eventually entered school after President Eisenhower ordered federal protection.

SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) Promoted non-violent protests and spearheaded civil rights campaigns in Southern towns like Birmingham and Selma. In 1966 the SCLC turned its focus to Northern ghettos and poverty. Led by M.L.King.

SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) Young people and college students who focused more on grassroots organizing than another civil rights organization by organizing sit-ins, and registering black voters.

Civil Rights Act 1964 Ended major forms of discrimination against blacks and women, including racial segregation. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace, and by facilities that served the general public.

March from Selma to Montgomery March for voting rights. On "Bloody Sunday," March 7, 1965, some 600 civil rights marchers got only as far as a bridge, six blocks away, where state and local lawmen attacked them with billy clubs and tear gas and drove them back into Selma. Two weeks later they marched the 50 miles to Birmingham, and arrived 25,000 strong.

Detroit Riots 1967 Detroit was the scene of mob violence against the desegregation of housing throughout its neighborhoods in the 1940s and 1960s. In 1967, rioters looted and destroyed property. After five days, 41 people had been killed, hundreds injured and thousands left homeless.