Civil Rights Activity Book Online - Southern Poverty Law Center

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CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTCivil Rights TimelinePeople have taken a stand for civil and human rights since the beginning of time.Here, we honor the courage and commitment displayed by countless individuals —some who lost their lives — in the struggle for equal rights during a time known as“the modern American Civil Rights Movement.”1954May 17, 1954Supreme Court outlawsschool segregation inBrown v. Board of Education1956November 13, 1956Supreme court banssegregated seating onMontgomery buses1955May 7, 19551957THE REV. GEORGE LEEWILLIE EDWARDS JR.Killed for leadingvoter-registration driveBelzoni, MississippiAugust 13, 1955LAMAR SMITHMurdered for organizingblack votersBrookhaven, MississippiAugust 28, 1955EMMETT LOUIS TILLMurdered for speaking to a white womanMoney, MississippiOctober 22, 1955JOHN EARL REESESlain by nightridersopposed to schoolimprovementsMayflower, TexasDecember 1, 1955Rosa Parks arrested forrefusing to give up her busseat to a white manMontgomery, AlabamaDecember 5, 1955Montgomery busboycott beginsJanuary 23, 1957Killed by KlansmenMontgomery, AlabamaAugust 29, 1957Congress passes firstcivil rights act sincereconstructionSeptember 24, 1957President Eisenhowerorders federal troopsto enforce schooldesegregation inLittle Rock, Arkansas1959April 25, 1959MACK CHARLES PARKERTaken from jailand lynchedPoplarville, Mississippi1960February 1, 1960Black students stagesit-in at “whites only”lunch counter inGreensboro, North CarolinaDecember 5, 1960Supreme courtoutlaws segregationin bus terminals1961May 14, 1961Freedom Riders attacked in Alabama whiletesting compliance withbus desegregation lawsSeptember 25, 1961HERBERT LEEVoter registration workerkilled by white legislatorLiberty, Mississippi1962April 1, 1962Civil rights groups joinforces to launch voterregistration driveApril 9, 1962CPL. ROMANDUCKSWORTH JR.Taken from bus andkilled by policeTaylorsville, MississippiSeptember 30, 1962Riots erupt when JamesMeredith, a black student, enrolls at Ole MissSeptember 30, 1962PAUL GUIHARDFrench reporter killedduring Ole Miss riotOxford, Mississippi1963April 23, 1963WILLIAM LEWIS MOORESlain during one-manmarch against segregationAttalla, AlabamaMay 3, 1963Birmingham police attack marching childrenwith dogs and fire hosesJune 11, 1963Alabama GovernorGeorge Wallace stands inschoolhouse door to stopuniversity integrationJune 12, 1963MEDGAR EVERSCivil rights leaderassassinatedJackson, MississippiAugust 28, 1963250,000 Americansmarch on Washingtonfor civil rightsSeptember 15, 1963ADDIE MAE COLLINS,DENISE MCNAIR,CAROLE ROBERTSON,CYNTHIA WESLEYSchoolgirls killed inbombing of SixteenthStreet Baptist ChurchBirmingham, AlabamaSeptember 15, 1963VIRGIL LAMAR WAREYouth killed duringwave of racist violenceBirmingham, Alabama1964January 23, 1964Poll tax outlawed infederal electionsJanuary 31, 1964LOUIS ALLENWitness to murder of civilrights worker assassinatedLiberty, Mississippi

April 7, 1964THE REV. BRUCE KLUNDERKilled protesting construction of segregated schoolCleveland, OhioMay 2, 1964HENRY HEZEKIAH DEE &CHARLES EDDIE MOOREKilled by KlansmenMeadville, MississippiJune 20, 1964Freedom Summer brings1,000 young civil rightsvolunteers to Mississippi1965July 9, 1965Congress passes VotingRights Act of 1965February 26, 1965July 18, 1965JIMMIE LEE JACKSONCivil rights marcherkilled by state trooperMarion, AlabamaWILLIE BREWSTERMarch 7, 1965State troopers beatback marchers atEdmund Pettus BridgeSelma, AlabamaAugust 20, 1965March 11, 19651966Killed by nightridersAnniston, AlabamaJONATHAN DANIELSSeminary studentkilled by deputyHayneville, AlabamaTHE REV. JAMES REEBMarch volunteerbeaten to deathSelma, AlabamaJune 21, 1964JAMES CHANEY,ANDREW GOODMAN,MICHAEL SCHWERNERJuly 11, 1964LT. COL. LEMUEL PENNJune 10, 1966BEN CHESTER WHITEJune 2, 1965Killed by Klansmenwhile driving northColbert, GeorgiaKilled by KlansmenNatchez, MississippiONEAL MOOREBlack deputy killedby nightridersVarnado, LouisianaClevelandOHIOWA S H I N G TO N , D .C .WESTVIRGINIACivil rights leader killedafter promotion to‘white’ jobNatchez, MississippiMay 12, 1967BENJAMIN BROWN1968February 8, 1968SAMUEL HAMMOND JR.,DELANO MIDDLETON,HENRY SMITHStudents killed whenhighway patrolmen fireon protestersOrangeburg,South CarolinaApril 4, 1968VIRGINIAK E N T U C KYGreensboroTENNESSEEWHARLEST JACKSONJanuary 10, 1966Black community leaderkilled in Klan bombingHattiesburg, MississippiKilled by Klansmen whiletransporting marchersSelma Highway, AlabamaFebruary 27, 1967October 2, 1967Thurgood Marshallsworn in as first blackSupreme Court justiceVERNON DAHMERVIOLA GREGG LIUZZO1967SAMUEL YOUNGE JR.Student civil rightsactivist killed in disputeTuskegee, AlabamaMarch 25, 1965July 2, 1964President Johnson signsCivil Rights Act of 1964Slain by nightridersBogalusa, LouisianaCivil rights workerkilled when policefired on protestersJackson, MississippiJanuary 3, 1966March 25, 1965Thousands complete theSelma to MontgomeryVoting Rights MarchCivil rights workersabducted and slainby KlansmenPhiladelphia, MississippiJuly 30, 1966CLARENCE TRIGGSNORTH CAROLINAMemphisARKANSASTHE REV. DR. MARTINLUTHER KING JR.AssassinatedMemphis, TennesseeOxfordLittle RockAttallaMoneyBirmingham AnnistonMISSISSIPPIBelzoni PhiladelphiaMayflowerJacksonLO U I S I A N The great triumphs of the CivilRights Movement during the1950s and ’60s continue toinspire those who seek justiceand equality ayneville TuskegeeNatchezMeadville HattiesburgLibertyVarnadoBogalusaPoplarvilleF LO R I DA

CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL1Civil Rights Memorial CenterIn Montgomery, Alabama, in 1989, the Southern Poverty LawCenter built a memorial to educate young people about the CivilRights Movement.Memorial designer Maya Lin, who also designed theVietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.,says it is “a place to remember the Civil RightsMovement, to honor those killed during the struggle,to appreciate how far the country has come in its questfor equality, and to consider how far it has to go.”A visitor studies theCivil Rights Memorial. Whatwould you expect to see ifyou visited the Memorial?Include a drawing of yourself,a friend, or a family memberon the coloring page.COLORING PAGE!

CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL1Powerful WordsThe Civil Rights Memorial includes a curved black granite wall that is engraved with theRev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s well-known paraphrase of Amos 5:24. Unscramble theletters below to reveal the quote.Ultni ijeusct lolsrnwdo eikl tsearwdan noshteurseisgkiel a ihgmyt trames“— — — — ————— — — — — —”What will the world look like whenthese powerful words reflect reality?COLORING PAGE!

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CIVIL RIGHTS EVENTS3When Did It Happen?Draw a line from the event that took place during the Civil Rights Movementto the year it happened.March onWashington1965ThurgoodMarshall joins theSupreme Court1964PresidentJohnson signs theCivil Rights Act1955Lunch CounterSit-In1960MontgomeryBus Boycott1967Congress passesthe VotingRights Act1963

CIVIL RIGHTS ICON4Launching a MovementRosa Parks was born in 1913 in Alabama, where black people likeher were treated as second-class citizens. This system of laws andcustoms was called “Jim Crow” — also known as “segregation.”Many black people were not allowed to vote. They could not go toschool with white children or swim in their pools. They could not eatat the same restaurants or stay at the same hotels. They even had todrink out of separate water fountains.When Rosa grew up, she and many others were determined toget rid of these unfair laws. But it was very hard to do, becausesome powerful people wanted to keep everything the same.One day — on Dec. 1, 1955 — Rosa was riding a city bus inMontgomery and the driver ordered her to give up her seat toa white passenger who didn’t have one. She said no, and so thepolice came and took her to jail.The city’s black community was angry. Their leaders asked everyoneto stop riding city buses. So, tens of thousands of people walked towork the next day — and the next day, and the next. They kept onwalking for 381 straight days.The city lost a lot of money, because these people were not buyingbus tickets. Finally, the rules were changed, and black people couldsit wherever they wanted.This event is known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It inspiredpeople across America to join a civil rights movement that changedour country forever.Rosa Parks thought everyone should betreated fairly. Is anyone being treatedunfairly today?COLORING PAGE!

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CIVIL RIGHTS SPEAK5OverheardFind the words or expressions often used during the Civil Rights Movement.BoycottVoting rationEqual rightsJim IVILGHYOMIAMSEGREGATIONENW

CIVIL RIGHTS MARTYR6Who Am I?I grew up in Chicago.In the summer of 1955, I took a bus to Money,Mississippi, to visit my cousins.I was 14 years old.My name is——————————COLORING PAGE!What do you think he mostenjoyed about visiting hiscousins in Mississippi duringthe summer?—————

CIVIL RIGHTS MARTYR7Who Am I?I was a mother of five children living in Detroit, Michigan. Onenight, I saw some very disturbing images on the evening news.State troopers in Selma, Alabama, were attacking peacefulprotestors with tear gas and clubs as they tried to cross theEdmund Pettus Bridge. I couldn’t do anything but cry as I watched.Four days later came the news reports of the death of the Rev.James Reeb, a white minister from Washington, D. C., who cameto Alabama to join Dr. King and thousands of others who weredetermined to march from Montgomery to Selma.I got in my car and left for Selma alone.———————————Even though her children grew upwithout their mother, what lastinglesson did she leave for them?COLORING PAGE!

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CIVIL RIGHTS MARTYRS8Children of the MovementFind the names of the children included on the Civil Rights Memorialin the word search below.Addie Mae CollinsEmmett TillDenise McNairVirgil WareJohn Earl ReeseCynthia WesleyCarole YHRCSHVUSAYBALAPFUTEYTMODHNCEGRAJOHNEARLREESEAM

CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISM9The March ContinuesSocial movements often use signs to convey a message. Civil Rights activists would createsigns to be used as part of demonstrations or acts of civil disobedience. Design a protestsign to deliver your own important message.

CIVIL RIGHTS MARCHES10Famous Civil Rights Protest MarchesDraw a line from the march to the corresponding photo. The images are your clues.March on WashingtonMemphis Sanitation WorkersSelma to Montgomery MarchBloody SundayChildren’s Crusade

CIVIL RIGHTS MARTYR11Who Am I?Once, I walked alone from Baltimore, Maryland, to the statecapitol in Annapolis to protest segregation.Later, I walked to Washington, D.C., to deliver a letter I wrote toPresident Kennedy at the White House.My last walk was to be much longer — from Chattanooga,Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi — to deliver a letter urgingGovernor Ross Barnett to accept integration.I never finished that march.Thankfully, others completedit for me.————————————COLORING PAGE!What challenges would hehave faced along the way?

CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISM12Rosa Parks’ PathTrace the path that is the shortest distance between homeand work for Mrs. Parks.Cleveland CourtRosa Parks lived with her husband, Raymond,in the Cleveland Court housing development.During the Montgomery bus boycott, Mrs. Parks,like thousands of others, often walked to work.Montgomery Fair

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