Unit
Years: 1955-1975
Culture & Community
Historical Events, Movements, and Figures
Black women played a major role in the civil rights movement. Despite being overlooked by historians for many years, women were very active in local political organizations across the South. Black women like Septima Clark, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Ella Baker were at the forefront of voter registration drives, educational campaigns, and even massive actions like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was completely woman-organized and woman-led. “It was women going door to door, speaking with their neighbors, meeting in voter registration classes together, organizing through their churches that gave the vital momentum and energy to the movement, that made it a mass movement,” said Andrew Young of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. And Black women were also vital to the Black power movement that emerged as the 1960s raged on, contributing artwork and organizing power to organizations like the Black Panther Party.
So why, then, were the important contributions of women eclipsed by men both during the movement and after, in history’s retelling of it? Why did the March on Washington feature an all-male panel of speakers, and why were women absent from most meetings between politicians and civil rights leaders? The civil rights movement was not immune to the sexism plaguing American culture more broadly, and the forces keeping women behind the scenes in the United States were also active within the ranks of the movement for civil rights, as well as within history. It is only within recent years that historians have begun to analyze the role that gender played within the civil rights movement and to uncover the many inspiring Black women who contributed to the fight for racial justice in the United States.
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An African American civil rights activist and organizer, known for her leadership and grassroots organizing work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and other civil rights organizations.
An African American civil rights activist and leader, known for her grassroots organizing, voter registration efforts, and advocacy for social and political equality, particularly for African Americans in the Mississippi Delta region.
Septima Clark was an African American educator and civil rights activist known as the "Queen mother" or "Grandmother" of the American Civil Rights Movement for her pioneering work in adult literacy and citizenship education.
An African American civil rights activist known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, sparking a nonviolent protest movement against racial segregation on public transportation.
An African American civil rights activist and educator, known for her role in organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and her advocacy for racial equality and social justice, particularly in the fight against segregation and discrimination in the United States.
An African American civil rights activist and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, known for her role in organizing and leading nonviolent protests, sit-ins, and Freedom Rides.
Tarika Lewis is not a recognized historical figure or term.
An American activist, educator, and former leader of the Black Panther Party, known for her involvement in the civil rights and black liberation movements, as well as her advocacy for social justice, education, and community empowerment.
An African American lawyer, professor, and civil rights activist, known for her involvement in the Black Panther Party and her advocacy for racial equality, gender justice, and social change, particularly in the context of the Black Power movement and the struggle against systemic racism and oppression.
An American activist, author, and former chairwoman of the Black Panther Party, known for her leadership and advocacy for social justice, civil rights, and gender equality.
An American political activist, scholar, and author known for her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, her affiliation with the Black Panther Party and the Communist Party USA, and her advocacy for prison abolition and racial justice.
An African American civil rights activist, lawyer, and writer, known for her pioneering work in advancing gender and racial equality, particularly as a co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the first African American woman ordained as an Episcopal priest. Murray's advocacy and scholarship addressed issues of race, gender, and social justice, and she played a significant role in shaping legal and social reforms in the United States.
A civil rights protest and mass demonstration that took place in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955-1956, sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus, and led by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., aimed at desegregating the city's public transportation system and challenging racial segregation and discrimination.
A term used to describe the historically African American churches in the United States, which have played a central role in the social, cultural, and political life of African American communities.
A social and political movement in the United States during the mid-20th century, characterized by nonviolent protest, civil disobedience, and grassroots organizing, aimed at ending racial segregation and discrimination, securing civil rights and voting rights for African Americans, and challenging systemic racism and injustice in American society. Led by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and John Lewis, the nonviolent civil rights movement played a key role in advancing racial equality and social change.
A social and political movement of the 1960s and 1970s advocating for racial pride, self-determination, and liberation for African Americans, often through direct action, community organizing, and cultural expression.
A revolutionary socialist organization founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, known for its advocacy of armed self-defense, community organizing, and social justice initiatives.
A theoretical framework or concept that recognizes the interconnectedness and overlapping nature of social identities, experiences, and forms of discrimination, particularly with regard to race, gender, class, sexuality, and other dimensions of identity, and highlights the unique experiences and challenges faced by individuals who belong to multiple marginalized or oppressed groups.