Key Figures and Organizations of the Civil Rights Movement

Key Figures of the Civil Rights Movement

• Martin Luther King Jr.: A Christian minister elected president of the SCLC in 1957.
• Malcolm X: An African American radical who converted to the Nation of Islam while in prison; the "X" represents his lost African name. He was later assassinated.
• Rosa Parks: An African American seamstress and activist who famously refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger.
• T. Eugene "Bull" Connor: Birmingham's public safety commissioner who infamously used police dogs and fire hoses against protesters.
• Thurgood Marshall: An African American lawyer from Baltimore, Maryland, who led the NAACP legal team in challenging the legality of segregation in the courts.
• Medgar Evers: A civil rights activist who helped James Meredith win a federal court case to desegregate the University of Mississippi; he was assassinated in June.
• John F. Kennedy: U.S. President who intervened to secure King's release from prison, acted to stem violence against Freedom Riders, and pushed for the desegregation of interstate transportation before his assassination.
• Robert F. Kennedy: John's brother who led the legislative charge for the passage of the new Civil Rights Act.

Organizations and Legal Framework

• MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association): The organization that sponsored the bus boycott and played a leading role in fighting segregation in Montgomery.
• NAACP: A powerful civil rights organization that challenged the legality of segregation.
• SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference): Founded by King and other ministers, the SCLC advocated for nonviolent resistance to fight segregation.
• SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee): A student-led organization focused on grassroots civil rights activism.
• Black Panthers: A militant African American organization founded in 1966 in Oakland, California.
• 13th Amendment: Formally abolished slavery, except as punishment for a crime.
• 14th Amendment: Granted citizenship to former slaves and guaranteed equal protection under the law.
• 15th Amendment: Granted African American men the right to vote.
• De Jure Segregation: Segregation that is imposed by law.
• De Facto Segregation: Segregation resulting from unwritten custom or tradition.