50 years later, civil rights hero John Lewis is “live” tweeting the Bloody Sunday march in Selma. The rest of his tweets tell the full, poignant account of that day.
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#black history #John Lewis #Selma #Selma50 #civil rights #history #Identities11 Black icons you won’t hear about on MLK Jr. day — but absolutely should
In honor of a holiday that has come to represent the spirit of the civil rights movement, we’ve compiled a list of the heroes you probably won’t hear about on Monday. These are the people who marched in the streets of Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, side by side with King, who delivered inspiring speeches about civil rights and ending racial oppression, icons who, in their distinct way, expanded King’s vision of “the revolution for human rights” to include women and queer people.
We know the march is not yet over, the race is not yet won, and that reaching that blessed destination where we are judged by the content of our character requires admitting as much.
There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem. And we are met here tonight as Americans — not as Democrats or Republicans — we are met here as Americans to solve that problem.
President Lyndon B. Johnson to Congress 50 years ago today
50 years after Selma, voting rights are once again under assault
In a strong start to Black History Month, Monday’s Google Doodle commemorates the life of Frederick Douglass, an African-American abolitionist who lived during the 19th century. Born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland, in 1818, Douglass went on to live a cerebral life as an intellectual icon and as a civil rights crusader. One awesome tweet pointed out his quote some Republicans of today should read.
60 years ago, on Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, breaking Jim Crow laws and spurring the Montgomery bus boycott. But Parks did so much more for our country and civil rights.
My simple advice to all the young people — and those of us not so young — is to pace ourselves for the long haul. Be like a pilot light and not like a firecracker. A firecracker just pops off and it’s gone. A pilot light will continue to burn.
When the history civil rights is taught in school, the fight for LGBT equality is often overlooked. But now thanks to Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights, a new young adult non-fiction book by author Ann Bausum, young people may finally get the info they need to hear.
When we talk about influential moments and people in black history, the conversation often focuses on the contributions of men — leaving the vital efforts of black women by the wayside.
The woman behind MLK during his “I Have a Dream” speech and 8 others we need to remember.
