Essay On Women In The Civil Rights Movement

401 Words2 Pages

Before beginning this research project, could anyone name a female, besides Rosa Parks, involved in the Civil Rights movement? Don’t worry, I couldn’t name anyone either. Rosa Parks made so many amazing contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. However, there are many women just like Rosa in the Civil Rights movement who go nearly unrecognized for the acts they took during this time. One example of a powerful and impactful woman during the Civil Rights movement is Dorothy Height. Height helped in a huge way during this time by getting young people to push for the rights of African American women. She was head of the National Council of Negro Women, a group of people with the desire to make African-American women 's voices heard in both social and political …show more content…

This was a group of people who worked together to give African-Americans a voice in the Civil Rights Movement. This group of people is best known for their “lunch counter sit-ins” at whites-only businesses. Diane Nash’s additions had a huge effect on the outcome of the movement.

Everyone knows of the iconic Rosa Parks bus story. Many people do not know, though, that Rosa Parks was not the only person who did this. Claudette Colvin also did not give up her seat for someone who was white. In additional to standing up for herself, she fought for her beliefs when she was one of the four plaintiffs in the Browder vs. Gayle trial. (Bus court case). Colvin’s situation is an example in which the Declaration of Independence was deceitful. It’s famous line, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”, did not apply to “all men”.

These are only three of the thousands of women who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. Isn’t it empowering how so many women like them were a part of so many inspiring and heroic acts to make our country an equal