Civil Rights Movement

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Jesse's Face Spoke for Millions
 Jesse's Face Spoke for Millions 
OPINION
Nov 5, 2008 1:18 PM CST

Jesse's Face Spoke for Millions

Jesse Jackson's tears expressed so many possible thoughts

(Newser) - Not long after the networks declared Barack Obama the next American president, writes Rebecca Traister in Salon, the years worth of emotions that led up to that moment flashed across the face of Jesse Jackson. In minutes, the civil rights leader's expression transformed from a still one of disbelief, (or...

After 43 Years, LBJ's Dream Is Realized Tonight
After 43 Years, LBJ's Dream Is Realized Tonight
OPINION
Aug 28, 2008 10:12 AM CDT

After 43 Years, LBJ's Dream Is Realized Tonight

Voting Rights Act paved the way for Obama's candidacy, writes Caro

(Newser) - As Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination tonight, author Robert A. Caro will be remembering another speech: Lyndon Johnson's 1965 address to Congress urging the passage of the Voting Rights Act. In that speech, which reduced Martin Luther King to tears, LBJ "adopted the great anthem of the civil...

Obama May Signal The End of Black Politics

Younger politicians are leaving elders and history behind

(Newser) - Barack Obama may be the most successful black candidate in American political history, but his prominence and possible presidency could be the death knell for black politics as we know it, Matt Bai writes in the New York Times Magazine. While he's not quite the “post-racial” candidate some have...

Rosa Parks Collection to Be Sold to Settle Estate

Auctioneer may sell thousands of personal items worth $10M

(Newser) - A collection of thousands of Rosa Parks’ personal items, together valued at upwards of $10 million, will be sold by Guernsey's auction house, the AP reports. The sale is part of a settlement  between her foundation and her nieces and nephews, who challenged her will shortly after her death in...

Not an Icon, a Man
 Not an Icon, a Man 
Apr 4, 2008 6:41 PM CDT

Not an Icon, a Man

Would civil rights legend be controversial in today's political climate?

(Newser) - On the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, the Washington Post looks past the legend at the multidimensional figure scholars and King's associates consider his true legacy. ”His challenge was much bigger than being nice," says historian Taylor Branch. "It was even bigger than race....

Peace, Man: Symbol Turns 50
 Peace, Man: Symbol Turns 50 
Apr 4, 2008 1:39 PM CDT

Peace, Man: Symbol Turns 50

The sign has endured for half a century now

(Newser) - The peace symbol, an inspiration for decades of anti-war movements and one of the most recognizable hieroglyphics, turns 50 today. The symbol was introduced in 1958 at a British rally against the atomic bomb. “I drew myself, a man in despair, and put a circle around it to represent...

Jackson Recalls MLK, Targets Urban Youth

New initiative launched at site of King's final speech

(Newser) - Jesse Jackson was outside the Lorraine Motel when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, 40 years ago today, and the sound of the gunshot still echoes in his memory. Jackson talks with the Chicago Sun-Times about that day, and how race relations have "detoxified"  in the ensuing years....

Rights Activist Carr Dies at 97
Rights Activist Carr Dies at 97
Feb 23, 2008 4:00 PM CST

Rights Activist Carr Dies at 97

Friend of Rosa Parks and organizer of 1955 Ala. Bus Boycott

(Newser) - Johnnie Rebecca Carr, an early leader in the civil rights movement and compatriot of Rosa Parks, has died of a stroke at age 97, the Montgomery Advertiser reports. Carr helped organize the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1955 after Parks made her famous stand on a city bus. The group's yearlong...

Ubiquitous Peace Sign Turns 50
Ubiquitous Peace Sign Turns 50
Feb 21, 2008 2:52 PM CST

Ubiquitous Peace Sign Turns 50

Symbol debuted at British anti-nukes rally

(Newser) - One of the world’s most recognizable symbols turns 50 today, the Victoria Times Colonist reports. The peace sign has become the rallying beacon for social movements from civil rights to anti-war. But textile designer Gerald Holtom designed the emblem to trumpet the fight for nuclear disarmament in England; it...

Sam Cooke Sang, and a Change Came
Sam Cooke Sang, and a Change Came
Dec 17, 2007 11:00 AM CST

Sam Cooke Sang, and a Change Came

Library of Congress enshrines late singer's protest anthem

(Newser) - Sam Cooke had his fair share of hits, but he didn't live to see the success of his masterpiece, the protest song “A Change is Gonna Come.” Now that it’s been enshrined at the Library of Congress, NPR takes a look at the civil rights anthem and...

'70s Icon Talks Race, Politics and Obama

Angela Davis has lived to see her own commodification

(Newser) - Angela Davis, 1970s black power icon, talks to the Guardian about race, politics and Barack Obama, and muses about being remembered "as a hairdo." Davis on diversity in the Bush administration: "When the inclusion of black people into the machine of oppression is designed to make that...

Harper Lee Awarded Medal of Freedom

Civil rights pioneer Hooks also receives highest civilian honor

(Newser) - Author Harper Lee and NAACP pioneer Benjamin Hooks yesterday received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, for their work for racial equality. Lee, 81, wrote the 1960 Pulitzer-winning classic To Kill a Mockingbird, which challenged racism and was made into a powerful movie featuring Gregory Peck. The...

Civil Rights Icons Return to Little Rock

Nine trailblazers observe 50th anniversary of Central High desegregation

(Newser) - The Little Rock Nine returned to Central High today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the school's integration. Once escorted by soldiers from the 101st Airborne, they arrived by limousine to a school that's now 52% black, the AP reports. "They didn't ask to be a part of history,...

FBI Spied on Coretta Scott King
FBI Spied on Coretta Scott King
Aug 31, 2007 3:52 AM CDT

FBI Spied on Coretta Scott King

Documents expose four-year surveillance campaign

(Newser) - FBI agents mounted a four-year spying operation to scrutinize Martin Luther King's widow, Coretta Scott King, following the assassination of the civil rights leader. The newly released documents reveal that the Nixon administration feared Mrs. King, who died last year, might unite the civil rights movement and anti-war protesters into...

Stories 61 - 74 | << Prev