Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a prominent leader in the civil rights movement. He was born with the name Malcolm Little, but later changed it to Malcolm X because the name Little was a slave name given to his family. When Malcolm was growing up, he was a good student, but when a teacher told him he could not become a lawyer because he was black, he dropped out and lost his motivation. On February 21st, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated by 3 members of the Nation Of Islam. Many books, movies, and documentaries were released about the life of Malcolm X. Malcolm was a big figure in the Civil Rights Movement and his legacy still lives on today.
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was the first African American justice in the Supreme Court. He served from October 1967 until October 1991. before becoming a judge, Thurgood was well known for his victory in the case of Brown vs. Board of Education. He was nominated in 1967 to serve as a justice by president Lyndon B. Johnson. Thurgood died on January 24, 1993 of heart failure. His legacy is that he is the first black judge to serve in the Supreme Court and he also won one of the most important cases in the Civil Rights Movement, Brown vs. Board of Education.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was very important to the civil rights movement. He helped organize many civil rights groups like the SCLC and the bus boycotts. He was best known for hisbelief in non violent protests, and obedience. He is also famous for helping organize the March on Washington in 1963. Thats where he recited his very famous "I had a deam" speech. This speech helped keep the civil rights movement going forward and this speech gave him the reputation of a iconic member of the civil rights movement.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is a very well known civil rights leader based on her courage and dedication. She made a very important step in civil rights protesting by not giving up her seat to a white person. She was arrested for disobeying the bus driver. After her protest, there have been many more people to stand up for themselves and for what they believe in. Today she is known as the first lady of civil rights and the mother of the freedom movement.
W.E.B Du Bois
Du Bois was a Civil Rights Activist from Great Barrington, MA. He was born on February 23, 1868, and he died on August 27, 1963. Du Bois was strongly against lynching, and he was in strong disagreement with the Jim Crow laws. Du Bois was the first African American to graduate from Harvard with a doctorate. He later became a founder for the NAACP and was a figure in the civil rights movement. He was also an author, and he wrote African-American literature such as "the black Reconstruction of America". He was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement, and helped find one of the most important groups in the civil rights movement.
James L. Farmer Jr.
James Farmer was a civil rights activist from Marshall, Texas. He was born on January 12, 1920, and he died on July 9, 1999. He was one of the people who organized the freedom rides in 1961. He was also one of the founder for Committee of Racial Equality, which later became known as the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE. He was an important civil rights activist because he helped organize a major protest, The freedom rides, and he also started on of the most important committees during the civil rights movement, CORE.