Icons of African American Protest: Trailblazing Activists of the Civil Rights Movement

750 Pages·2008·4.2 MB·English

by  Gladys L. Knight

ICONS OF AFRICAN
AMERICAN PROTEST
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ICONS OF AFRICAN
AMERICAN PROTEST
Trailblazing Activists of the
Civil Rights Movement
VOLUME 1
Gladys L. Knight
GreenwoodIcons
GREENWOODPRESS
Westport,Connecticut • London
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Knight,GladysL.,1974–
IconsofAfricanAmericanprotest:trailblazingactivistsofthecivilrightsmovement/
GladysL.Knight.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-313-34062-8((set):alk.paper)—ISBN978-0-313-34063-5((vol.1):alk.paper)—
ISBN978-0-313-34064-2((vol.2):alk.paper)
1.AfricanAmericancivil rightsworkers—Biography. 2.Civilrights workers—UnitedStates—
Biography.3.AfricanAmericans—Civilrights—History.4.AfricanAmericans—Civilrights—
History.5.Civilrightsmovements—UnitedStates—History.6.Politicalactivists—UnitedStates—
History.I.Title.
E185.96.K562009
323.09202—dc22
[B] 2008034739
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:2)C 2009byGladysL.Knight
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2008034739
ISBN:978-0-313-34062-8(set)
978-0-313-34063-5(Vol1)
978-0-313-34064-2(Vol2)
Firstpublishedin2009
GreenwoodPress,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.greenwood.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
ListofPhotos vii
SeriesForeword ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction:IconsandProtestorsoftheTwentiethCentury xvii
ChronologyofAfricanAmericanProtest xxiii
Volume1
EllaBaker 1
ElaineBrown 27
StokelyCarmichael 53
AngelaDavis 79
W.E.B.DuBois 105
JamesFarmer 131
LouisFarrakhan 155
MarcusGarvey 181
FannieLouHamer 207
DorothyHeight 233
JesseJackson 259
MartinLutherKing,Jr. 285
vi Contents
Volume2
SpikeLee 311
JohnLewis 337
MalcolmX 365
ThurgoodMarshall 391
HueyP.Newton 417
RosaParks 443
A.PhilipRandolph 467
AlSharpton 493
IdaB.Wells-Barnett 519
RoyWilkins 545
RobertF.Williams 571
WhitneyYoung 597
Appendix1:ExecutiveOrder8802 623
Appendix2:ExecutiveOrder9981 625
Appendix3:SelectedExcerptsfromtheCivilRightsActof1964 627
Appendix4:SelectedExcerptsfromtheVotingRightsActof1965 637
Appendix5:ExcerptfromtheBlackPantherPartyTenPoint
PlatformandProgram(October1966) 641
Appendix6:IconsinTheirOwnWords 643
Glossary 657
Bibliography 663
Index 665
Photos
Ella Baker (page 1), between 1942 and 1946. Courtesy of the Library of
Congress.
Black Panther Party members, leader Elaine Brown (page 27; center) and co-
founderHueyP.Newton(right),posewiththeirlawyerCharlesR.Garry
(left) on the campus of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut,
probablyinApril1970.PhotobyDavidFenton/GettyImages.
StokelyCarmichael(page53),1966.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
PosterofAngelaDavis(page79),1971.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
W.E.B.DuBois(page105),between1930and1950.CourtesyoftheLibrary
ofCongress.
James Farmer (page 131) at Foley Square in New York, speaking at a
memorial for four African American girls killed in a church bombing in
Birmingham,Alabama,1963.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
Louis Farrakhan (page 155) told a Washington news conference he has no
doubt that Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy was sincere in offering to
help train and arm black Americans for an uprising against the U.S.
government. ‘‘I cannot accept the carnal weapons of this world,’’
Farrakahnsaid,1985.APPhoto/ScottStewart.
MarcusGarvey(page181),1924.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
Fannie Lou Hamer (page 207) at the Democratic National Convention,
AtlanticCity,NewJersey,1964.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
DorothyHeight(page233;right)presentstheMaryMcLeodBethuneHuman
Rights Award to Eleanor Roosevelt (left) at the council’s silver
anniversarylunch,1960.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
viii Photos
Jesse Jackson (page 259) surrounded by marchers carrying signs advocating
support for the Hawkins-Humphrey Bill for full employment. Courtesy
oftheLibraryofCongress.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (page 285) delivering a speech at Girard College,
Philadelphia,1965.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
Director Spike Lee (page 311) shown on the set of his 1996 film Get on the
Bus.CourtesyofPhotofest.
Compositeoftwophotographs:bottomphotoshowstheSelmaMontgomery
civil rights march, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (front/center),
CorettaScottKing(behindDr.King),andJohnLewis(page337;rightof
Mrs. King); top photograph shows five white segregationists, two with
confederateflags,1965.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
Malcolm X (page 365) during a rally in Harlem, New York, 1963. Courtesy
oftheLibraryofCongress.
Thurgood Marshall (page 391) shown in front of the Supreme Court, 1958.
CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
ABlackPantherposterfeaturingHueyNewton(page417).Textbeneaththis
imageread:‘‘Theracistdogpolicemenmustwithdrawimmediatelyfrom
ourcommunities,ceasetheirwantonmurderandbrutality.’’Courtesyof
theLibraryofCongress.
Rosa Parks (page 443) seated toward front of bus, Montgomery, Alabama,
1956.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
A. Philip Randolph (page 467) standing before the statue at the Lincoln
Memorial, during the 1963 March on Washington. Courtesy of the
LibraryofCongress.
AlSharpton(page493)onSaturdayNightLive,2003.CourtesyofPhotofest.
IdaB.Wells(page519),1891.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
RoyWilkins(page545),1963.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress.
RobertF.Williams(page571)livinginexile.LynnPelham/TimeLifePictures/
GettyImages.
Whitney Young (page 597) reading a book, 1963.Courtesy of the Library of
Congress.
Series Foreword
Worshipped and cursed. Loved and loathed. Obsessed about the world over.
What does it take to become an icon? Regardless of subject, culture, or
era, the requisite qualifications are the same: (1) challenge the status quo,
(2) influence millions, and (3) impact history.
Using these criteria, Greenwood Press introduces a new reference format
and approach to popular culture. Spanning a wide range of subjects, vol-
umes in the Greenwood Icons series provide students and general readers a
port of entry into the most fascinating and influential topics of the day. Ev-
ery two-volume title offers an in-depth look at approximately 24 iconic fig-
ures, each of which captures the essence of a broad subject. These icons
typically embody a group of values, elicit strong reactions, reflect the
essence of a particular time and place, and link different traditions and peri-
ods. Among those featured are artists and activists, superheroes and spies,
inventors and athletes—the legends and mythmakers of entire generations.
Yet icons can also come from unexpected places: as the heroine who tran-
scends the pages of a novel or as the revolutionary idea that shatters our
previously held beliefs. Whether people, places, or things, such icons serve
as a bridge between the past and the present, the canonical and the contem-
porary. By focusing on icons central to popular culture, this series encour-
ages students to appreciate cultural diversity and critically analyze issues of
enduring significance.
Most importantly, these books are as entertaining as they are provocative.
Is Disneyland a more influential icon of the American West than Las Vegas?
How do ghosts and ghouls reflect our collective psyche? Is Barry Bonds an
inspiring or deplorable icon of baseball? Designed to foster debate, the se-
ries serves as a unique resource that is ideal for paper writing or report pur-
poses. Insightful, in-depth entries provide far more information than
conventional reference articles but are less intimidating and more accessible
than a book-length biography. The most revered and reviled icons of