Civil Rights Movement in Texas “The Future belongs to those who prepare for it today”- Malcolm X “The time is always right to do what is right”- Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Movement in Texas

Vocabulary Segregation- separation of different types of racial groups in a society. Desegregation- the process of ending racial segregation. Unconstitutional- something that went against the U.S. Constitution. Civil Rights- rights guaranteed to individuals, so they can function in society equally.

Two types of movements in Texas African American Civil Rights Movement (NAACP). Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (LULAC).

Road leading to the Movement 1954- Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas: Civil Rights lawyers argued segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. Thuragood Marshall took the case to the Supreme Court, and U.S. schools were desegregated. In 1955 Mansfield High School, refused to obey the law, and a mob refused to let 15 African American students into the school. In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in Montgomery, Alabama. By 1970, all public schools in Texas fully complied with the law.

James Farmer Jr. (1920-1999) Born in Marshall, Tx. Farmer saw prejudices all the time. In 1942 he founded the Congress of Racial Equality, (CORE) to stop discrimination. In 1961, he organized a campaign called the Freedom Bus Rides to Washington D.C.

Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) Growing up in Houston, she saw first hand the prejudices of the Jim Crow South. In the 1960s she became the first Black Woman to be elected to the Texas Senate. She worked to fight for Civil Rights for women as well as men, and became the first woman to give the keynote address at the Democratic Convention in 1976.

The Great Society President Johnson declares war on poverty in 1964, and he believed the best way to combat poverty was through education. Great Society programs included: Head Start program, Job Corps, and other educational facilities.

“Justice for All” Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, was also passed, forbidding literacy tests and poll taxes allowing anyone to vote regardless of race. Sadly in April 1968, Dr. King was killed in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mexican American Rights Although they fought in WWII, Mexican Americans quickly learned little had changed at home. Dr. Hector Garcia, organized the American G.I. Forum to give returning veterans benefits. Mexican Americans also fought for better schools, and voting rights.

Civil Rights “By any means Necessary.” During the movement, more radical groups began to emerge, wanting the same as non-violent participants but using a different method. Malcolm X, led a movement that stated they would achieve equality by any means necessary. Malcolm’s philosophy was then taken up by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, who later formed the Black Panther Party.