Influential People In The Civil Rights Movement Essay

Influential People in the Civl Rights Movement

Today and throughout history, people of color have had to face a vast amount of discrimination towards themselves throughout their day-to-day lives. However, many people have fought to end discrimination and the inexcusable mistreatment of others. Numerous individuals have taken a stand against the inequality and prejudice viewpoints of many American citizens. In the effort to do so, they have brought justice to those affected by the hatred provoked by the time period. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Thurgood Marshall have greatly impacted society and the lives of countless individuals. Throughout the 1960’s, many people were discriminated against for their race, gender, and ethnicity.

Rosa Parks, an African-American seamstress and housewife, opposed segregation and the aggression and cruelty present. In December 1955 in Cleveland, Parks was sitting on a city bus in the designated black section. Typically, the black section was much smaller than the rest of the bus, leaving little room for three-fourths of the population of riders that were African-American. When a white male passenger boarded and requested her seat, she refused to give it up. The bus driver called the police and Rosa Parks was arrested and jailed. Her courageous actions led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Eventually, this led to the United States District Court declaring that segregation on transportation was unconstitutional. One individual says that “The 1955 incident pushed the Civil Rights Movement forward was born of Parks' own fatigue from the racial segregation she faced in daily life in Alabama using black-only elevators, water fountains, and schools” (“Rosa Parks” Newsmakers 1). Parks was greatly influenced by the segregation around her and was one of the things that impacted her decision to not give up her seat. Rosa Parks won many awards and prizes for her heroic actions. Individuals like Rosa Parks strengthened the growing movement and influenced a change very much needed in Americans’ perception of

Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to serve as a supreme court justice, was very instrumental in the desegregation of schools. Marshall made history by leading the Brown v. Board of Education supreme court case, which desegregated students in all white all black schools. Marshall felt that segregation was separate but not equal. Not only did Marshall fight to end segregation, but he also negotiated with white store owners to hire black employees ("Thurgood Marshall" Contemporary Black Biography). Marshall received a lot of criticism for being on the supreme court and used that to leverage his will for equality among citizens. He was a member of the NAACP. He soon began the head counsel for the organization and spoke that all citizens merited the right to be treated equal rather than inferior based on their race. Marshall prepared cases to help African-American students with the struggles often faced by these students during the time period. Marshall contributed to the civil rights movement on a larger scale than most activists because of the power he held the supreme court. He impacted the lives of many African-American students and changed the way we view public education forever. Thurgood Marshall believed that all citizens had the inalienable right to an equal education, lifestyle, and access to public places regardless of their