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Brown v. Board of Education
Landmark Supreme Court case in which racial segregation in public schools was declared unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). -
Emmett Till Murder
14-year-old Emmett Till was abducted, tortured, and murdered in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman. His open-casket funeral drew national attention to racial violence. -
Montgomery Bus Boycotts December 5, 1955-December 20, 1956
Sparked by Rosa Parks’ arrest, African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama boycotted buses to protest segregated seating. The boycott ended with a Supreme Court ruling desegregating public buses. -
Little Rock Nine September 4, 1957-June 1958 (end of school year)
Nine African American students faced violent resistance as they integrated Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, requiring intervention by federal troops. -
Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-ins
our African American college students in Greensboro, North Carolina began a nonviolent sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter, sparking a nationwide sit-in movement. -
Freedom Rides May 4, 1961- December 10, 1961
Interracial groups rode interstate buses into the segregated South to challenge non-enforcement of Supreme Court rulings banning segregated public transportation.