Tag Archives: civil rights

Jan16

birmingham.

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Letter from Birmingham Jail

In the spring of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organized a demonstration in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. With entire families in attendance, city police turned dogs and fire hoses on demonstrators. King was jailed along with large numbers of his supporters, but the event drew nationwide attention.

In his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, King eloquently spelled out his theory of non-violence:

“Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community,

which has constantly refused to negotiate,

is forced to confront the issue.”

 

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credits: biography, history channel, photo credit: the atlantic

Jun7

energy and daring.

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We remember the life and lasting legacy of Robert F. Kennedy
and his commitment to a more just and peaceful world with his words:
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal… he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope,
and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring,
those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance.”
—
November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968
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John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
 SWPC-RFK-025-001
Jul31

get in the way.

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The Bloodiest Sunday 

Bloody Sunday was a cruel incident that occurred on March 7, 1965  in Selma, Alabama. Six hundred orderly protesters were ready to march to Selma on a Sunday to support the Voting Rights Movement. They were led by John Lewis, SNCC, and SCLC activists. All six hundred of them crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but were blocked by Alabama State Troopers. The police commanded them to turn around, but the protesters refused. The police say ‘they had no choice’ other than to start shooting teargas into the crowd, and beating the non-violent protesters. Sadly, they hospitalized over sixty people. To this day, Lewis still has a visible scar on his forehead from Bloody Sunday. This week, I watched as you made one final trip over that bridge, in your casket, with Alabama State Troopers saluting you, and people holding you in their hearts for all you did for them. You will always be remembered as a brave and compassionate leader who truly led by example.

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RIP, John Lewis, thank you for always getting in the way, and showing us how it’s done.

 

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“you must be bold, brave, and courageous and find a way… to get in the way.”

-john lewis

Oct18

his life.

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Congressman, Trailblazer, and Civil Rights Leader – Elijah Cummings

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“my life is based on pain, passion, and purpose.”

-elijah cummings

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thank you for truly living what you believed in

RIP

 

 

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image credit: Baltimoremagazine.com