Remembering the Civil Rights Movement

Yesterday was a day of remembrance; remembrance of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But I want to dedicate this blog post to everyone who was a part of the Civil Rights Movement and who, just like King, had to face constant abuse, rejection, and death-threats because of the truth they believed in. These people never got - and still don’t get - as much recognition as they deserve. Don’t get me wrong, I believe King is worthy of all the respect and acknowledgements he has gotten – but I think it’s time to remember other people who risked their lives for a dream they shared with so many other Americans.
I don’t want to entirely exclude Dr. King in this post, however. I believe Oprah posted a wonderful and personal YouTube piece about King and her thoughts on how he contributed to the change in the American society and how he changed the future for so many Americans. I really encourage you to take a look at it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRUUq9QoKms.

But let’s move on to a few people that I would like to recognize.

Ella Baker (1903-1986): a civil rights leader who was instrumental in the founding of The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She taught people not to be ashamed of their race and she pushed African Americans to keep their faith in freedom going. She advised African American women to take up their struggle for equality, and she was convinced that “ordinary” people had the ability to become political leaders.

Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987): an American educator and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People activist. Known as the “Queen Mother” or “Grandmother of the American Civil Rights Movement;” she fought for equal access to education and civil rights for African Americans long before the nation had turned its attention to racial equality.

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977): an American voting rights activist who was influential in organizing Mississippi’s “Freedom Summer” for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She later became the Vice-Chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. In 1962, she was beaten and jailed in for trying to register to vote. During her lifetime, she worked on many projects including grassroots-level Head Start programs, the Freedom Farm Cooperative in Sunflower County, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign.

These women are just a few out of many who risked their lives for a dream that till this day hasn't fully come true. We've come a long way, but we're not there yet.

I'm going to end with a quote by Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the keynote speaker at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where civil rights and political leaders gathered yesterday to honor Dr. King's legacy. McKenzie, who is the first female bishop in the 213-year history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, said "The dream is still yet coming. There are challenges before us. The tragedy of injustice still stains the mural of American life."

I agree. So let's work on making some changes.