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As we continue to highlight our community’s heroes, we want to celebrate activists that weren’t only groundbreaking but truly shook up the world as they fought for equality!
Here are a few of our heroes that we’ll be focusing on in this upcoming Unsung Best in Black episode.
1. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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When people think about the Civil Rights Movement, they might consider Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the movement’s poster child.
In 1964, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for using nonviolent resistance to win equal rights for African Americans.
His renowned activism is still taught in many schools across the country.
2. Coretta Scott King
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had an incredible support system to help battle the injustices that African Americans faced, and still continue to face.
His biggest support was none other than his wife, Coretta Scott King!
Coretta established her own legacy in the fight against injustice, despite being best known as the wife of the renowned civil rights activist.
She also made efforts to carry on her husband’s legacy when he passed away.
3. Medgar Evers
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Medgar Evers bravely opposed racism in the bitterly divided South for the entirety of his brief life, and we cannot thank him enough!
Not only did the late activist fight against the highly blatant racial segregation in schools, Medgar also fought against harsh Jim Crow laws that took place in the South.
We can’t forget that he started an inquiry into the lynching of Emmett Till!
4. Angela Davis
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Is there anything that Ms. Angela Davis can’t do?!
She is most known for her involvement in the Black liberation and civil rights movements and for strongly supporting the abolishment of prisons.
As a result of her support for three black soldiers being held in Soledad Prison and her membership in the Communist Party, Ms. Davis was fired from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1969, earning her notoriety.
5. Black Panther Party
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The most important militant black power group of the time was the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, which was established in Oakland, California, in 1966.
Its members confronted politicians, resisted the police, and stood up for the rights of black people. The party offered food, clothing, and transportation as part of its “survival programs” for the neighborhood. Members preferred to radically alter American society as opposed to integrating it.
6. Jim Brown
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Jim Brown broke the color barrier and became the first African American superstar in the sport of American football.
Despite suffering through his nine-season professional career, Brown never missed a game while eight of those seasons he led the league in running.
Brown had more yards gained, rushing touchdowns, and overall touchdowns than any other NFL player in history when he retired from the league in 1966.
7. James Baldwin
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James Baldwin’s expressive voice talked of the suffering and struggle of Black Americans and the rescuing power of brotherhood in a number of articles, books, plays, and public speeches.
The majority of James Baldwin’s writings from the middle of the 20th century in the United States deal with racial and sexual concerns.
Who are your heroes that you’ve looked up to? Let us know down below.
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