Influential Leaders Of The Civil Rights Movement

At the height of the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968), women played a big part in not only keeping the crusade alive, but also played a big part in energizing the masses to continue the long and arduous struggle against the seemingly impenetrable institutions of power which disenfranchised African-Americans and regarded their humanity as nothing more than mere pieces of property owned by others. Women like Coretta Scott King, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Septima Clark and countless mothers, sisters, and daughters proved to be important

Women made substantial progress during this era, but African Americans were severely limited in their fight for civil rights. The black population saw little to no advancement in their fight for civil rights, as progressives were known to share the prejudices of the time and considered other reform movements more important and beneficial to society. A leader in the African American community, W.E.B. Dubois pointed out in The Crisis that progressive reforms had failed short in its ideals for civil rights equality, as blacks were still oppressed and segregated. (DOC I) Black men were being drafted into war and serving gladly for their country, yet only saw further segregation under the Wilson presidency. However, the women’s rights movement was a powerful and the driving force of the progressive era. The phrase “New Women” was created to describe the young, college educated women who were pursuing careers and looking for equality. It was primarily middle class women who drove the reforms of this time, and it was through groups such as The National American Women Suffrage Association and the National Women’s Party that they fought for equal rights, like the right to vote.

The civil rights movement broadened the definition of leadership to include women, and left an impression of women as powerful and determined activists. Jo An Robinson and Ella Baker are just two of the many women who were able to take charge and make an impact on the movement. Robinson led the Women’s Political Council, which plotted strategy for a one-day bus boycott in Montgomery following Rosa Parks’ arrest. The Council was able to recruit clergy to lend their churches for mass meetings and was able to tap into a new minister in town, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association, which would coordinate the larger Montgomery Bus Boycotts . It was the women that organized this key moment in the civil rights movement – which was, in fact, spurred by a woman, Rosa Parks, refusing to take her seat in the back of the bus. Ella Baker was similarly key in the Civil Rights movement. She was instrumental in organizing a conference of student sit-in activists in 1960, forming the beginning of what would become the SNCC. By educating and fostering leadership, Baker helped members to see themselves as potential leaders – regardless of race or gender. That does not mean that leadership in the

Throughout history, people have made sacrifices, changes, and big decisions that later sometimes result in something grand. These grand occurrences can either be good or bad. Usually as time goes on these events and most well-known people of this time are highlighted in history classes for students to learn and to honor those of that time. However, some of the smaller people that contributed to historical events aren’t as highlighted as those that were seen as the big leaders. For example, in the American Revolution, the people that usually come to mind are George Washington, Paul Revere, and Thomas Jefferson. What about the people who were injured, scared and killed because of this bloody war? They seem to be forgotten until they are highlighted once again. Another example of a person that was not really highlighted for their actions is Nina Simone. She made an impact on the Civil Right Movement that not many other artist or celebrity would have done. When you think of the Civil Rights Movement the first three that come to mind of course are, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and Rosa Parks. So, when someone hears the name Nina Simone the two most common responses might be “Who’s that?” or “Oh the singer?”. But what is forgotten is how she, at such a high level, put her reputation at a risk. Nina Simone was a very well-known singer of the 1950s and 1960s especially for her song “Feeling Good”. She didn’t just use her popularity for fame and money but to express

America stands for equality, freedom, and choice, but upon looking into the history behind America the everlasting struggle of racism, bigotry, and inequality are revealed. Through the 1950s to the 1970s, the fight for civil rights by African Americans was prominent throughout America. Schools, restaurants, and all public facilities were segregated, African Americans were blocked from voting through literacy tests and poll taxes, and The KKK, a white supremacist group, would lynch African American men. The need for the immediate cease of these practices and the desire for equality gave way to the Civil Rights Movement. Leaders and groups arose from this movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and the Black Panther Party. The overall goal was to achieve rights but there were two significantly different methods of achieving this goal, non-violent civil disobedience and “black power”. The shift from non-violent civil disobedience to “black power” was caused by the emotional toll of being complacent during personal attack and the truth that immediate change calls upon the use of force, and the result of the shift was the further spread of violence.

Both heroes and regular people come together for their rights during the Civil Rights Movement. There was segregation and violence happening in the South. In the South it was different from what people in the North lived in. Many African Americans are beaten up, hanged or even killed in the South and they weren’t treated equally like normal people. African Americans want to fight for their rights and wanted to end segregation so they can be treated fairly and get to do the same things the whites do. Both leaders and regular people needed each other during the Civil Rights Movement in order to make a change in the South.

Another important figure in African American history that would raise objections to the end-of-black-history thesis is Ella Baker, an influential grassroots organizer of the mid 20th century. Ella Baker was a very different figure from many charismatic black male leaders who received national attention and coverage from media. She was a community organizer that helped common people to stand up effectively for a common cause. Her strong belief that ‘people had to learn to lead themselves’ and disgust of ‘hero worship’ made her remain as an ‘outsider within’ in organizations such NAACP and SCLC although she had done a considerable amount to contribute to both. Baker’s concept of leadership was a group-centered one that could help individuals with the goal of betterment of the public grow into ‘being responsible for carrying out a program.’ Also, Baker believed that group-centered leadership is much more beneficial in working toward racial uplift than individual-centered leadership because charismatic leaders are susceptible to corruption, tend not to identify with people and remain above, become idolized, and encourage disaffection of community leaders from the struggle for racial equality. Such strong skepticism of individual leadership and Baker’s faith in the power of grassroots activities played a major role in her characterizing African

Compared to the many male leaders of America and those who made a difference, the number of female leaders and those who made a difference is very small. At least that’s how it seems since a majority of the female efforts in history go unrecognized. There were many women that changed America; they made a gigantic impact on the American history. Women, before, during, and after colonial times, had no rights as those of a property owning white man. They were just above a slave in social status. White women and women of color fought for a change in their country. Many rights were exclusively for the white man who owned property and was of Puritan belief. During time, male African Americans had won the right to vote, but not even the white

When we hear the term activist from the Civil Rights Movement, we associate that term with Black, religious men from the twentieth century that we most commonly learned about in our classes growing up. Those men were known for fighting against social injustices and impacting the lives of black citizens; they include Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. If someone like Rosa Parks were mentioned in class, we would focus more on her gender than her achievements. It was easy to assume that only men were leading and participating in the Civil Rights Movement. In her book, Witnessing and Testifying: Black Women, Religion, and Civil Rights, Rosetta E. Ross focuses on key women in the Civil Rights Movement who exercised their faith, despite the injustice that surrounded them, to improve the lives of others.

Women learned from their involvement with the civil rights movement to “think radically about the personal worth and abilities of people whose role in society had gone unchallenged before.” These thoughts, naturally, became part of how women began to place themselves within the civil rights movement and to truly start to think about what being a woman in a civil rights organization, like SNCC meant. In a way SNCC acted similarly to the radical abolitionists of the nineteenth century in that they “suggested ways that individual discontent could become the basis for large scale political activism.” They began to think about the societal institutions that they were expected to be a part or such as marriage and childrearing. Women in the movement had “developed too much self-confidence and self-respect to accept subordinate roles passively.”

Most people know who Martin Luther King is but do not know about many of the other black civil rights leaders who risked their lives for equality. Many civil rights leaders founded organizations to stop segregation. Others organized strikes and protests. All of the leaders helped make our world a better place. Martin Luther King Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois, A. Philip Randolph, Malcolm X and James Farmer all helped fight for an end to segregation.

The purpose of this literature review is to explore challenges, experiences, and successful strategies that African American women have encountered in the shaping of leadership in higher education. This review focuses on the history and struggles of women in higher education, male dominance, and African American women who have become successful in leadership roles. Some of the literature reviewed suggests that if efforts are not made to support the upward mount of African American women in leadership positions, the possibility of the decrease in this population is inevitable.

5) Michael Harrington constituted the “Other America,” he wrote about the continuing poverty in America. In 1960, more than a fifth of Americans were living below the poverty line. Eighty percent of those who were poor were not always poor, those people would be out of the poverty line once they got a job. Many farmers in the 1950s received only 4.1 percent of the national income. Employers relocated mills and factories from cities to suburbs, so the number of unskilled jobs reduced. The rich white people did not decide to share their wealth so they made a policy to tear down buildings in the poorest areas and fill them with middle- and upper-income houses. It was a way to keep the people in the middle class from leaving the poor areas. Mexican-Americans, Native Americans and Asian-American

The women’s movement began in the nineteenth century when groups of women began to speak out against the feeling of separation, inequality, and limits that seemed to be placed on women because of their sex (Debois 18). By combining two aspects of the past, ante-bellum reform politics and the anti-slavery movement, women were able to gain knowledge of leadership on how to deal with the Women’s Right Movement and with this knowledge led the way to transform women’s social standing (Dubois 23). Similarly, the movement that made the largest impact on American societies of the 1960’s and 1970’s was the Civil Right Movement, which in turn affected the women’s movement (Freeman 513). According to

With the Women’s Movement challenging women’s rights it did however omit African American women from the process. The Civil Rights