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While visiting family in Mississippi, 14- year old Emmett Till from Chicago was viciously murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman a few days earlier. He was murdered by the white woman's husband and brother who made Emmett carry a cotton gin fan weighing over 70 pounds and then proceeded to beat him up naked, scrap out his eye, shoot him in the head, and throw his body into the water. This event is significant because it portrays the cruelty black people faced by their oppressors. -
After a long day of work at the Montgomery Fair Department store, 42-year-old Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man after he realized all the seats in the "white" section were taken. Since segregation was set in stone, the action that Rosa Parks took upon herself sparked a sense of hope into people of color to stop giving into oppression and start standing up for themselves. -
Before Sunday morning services at 16 street Baptist church in Birmingham, a bomb exploded which was a coincidence because the church was predominately black and served as a meeting area for civil rights leaders. Four girls were murdered and many others were injured. This event sparked a lot of anger within the black community and protesters which helped spread more awareness. -
Malcolm X was a religious leader who also played a huge role in the civil rights movement and worked alongside Dr. King. He was a role model to a lot of Black Americans and people who practice Islam. He was assassinated at a rally by members associated with the "Nation of Islam". -
Martin Luther King Jr was a leader of the civil rights movement who lead amazing protests, and marches and made very good speeches that aided in the evolution of how black Americans were treated in America. He was assassinated while he was standing on the balcony of his hotel room in Tennessee. His death sent a wave of shock to all Black people in America but also people were appreciative of how far he had brought them regarding civil rights.