Paul-Newman

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, the only time they met, while attending a Senate debate on the Civil Rights Act of 1964

 It’s truly wild to think that two of the biggest names in the Civil Rights movement only met one time and that it was at a debate for the very thing they were working for. Both of these giants of Civil Rights would be cut down in their prime, but in 1964 they were still pleased about the progress they achieved in the face of an insurmountable enemy.

King and X were philosophically at odds with one another for many years of their lives, but they both held a deep respect for each other and recognized that they were both fighting for the same thing, just in different ways. Think of what they could have accomplished if they were allowed to truly flourish.

Harriet Tubman's Last Portrait, 1911

 Harriet Tubman was a special kind of person. Not only was she incredibly smart, but she was brave, and knew that she was put on this Earth to make sure every person of color had a chance to live a free life.

After running away from her plantation in 1844 Tubman resolved to return to the south as often as she could in order to help rescue anyone who was brave enough to ride with her, even when she had a $40,000 reward on her head. All in all she made 19 trips to slave country 1860, making her one of the most important figures of the civil war.

Following the war she settled down in Auburn, New York, where she spent the rest of her life. She passed away in 1913 at the age of 93.

Mr.Rogers breaking the color barrier by inviting Officer Clemmons to join him to cool his feet in a pool, 1969

 If you spent your childhood watching Mr. Rogers (and really, who didn’t?) then you remember. Officer Clemmons. He was a kind hearted police officer who often stopped by the neighborhood to check in and see how everyone was doing.

When Clemmons appeared on the program in 1969 it was the first time that a black character had a recurring role on a children’s series. Even though this was a huge deal, something that established a positive portrayal of a black authority figure on television, Clemmons was unsure about accepting the role. He explained:

Fred came to me and said, ‘I have this idea, you could be a police officer.’ That kind of stopped me in my tracks. I grew up in the ghetto. I did not have a positive opinion of police officers. Policemen were sicking police dogs and water hoses on people. And I really had a hard time putting myself in that role. So I was not excited about being Officer Clemmons at all.

On February 12, 1946, hours after being honorably discharged from the United States Army, Isaac Woodard was attacked while still in uniform by South Carolina police as he was taking a bus home.

 It’s truly horrible to see something like this, a man who served his country honorably beaten and blinded. It’s sickening. While riding the bus from Georgia to North Carolina on February 12, 1946, Sgt. Woodard was beaten so badly by the South Carolina police that he was permanently blinded.

Woodard’s assault occurred after he asked his bus driver if he could use the restroom at a scheduled stop. The driver cursed at him and kicked him off the bus at the next stop. There, the Batesburg, South Carolina chief of police was waiting to carry out a beating.

After he was beaten, Woodard was arrested for drunken and disorderly conduct, fined $50, and he was refused medical treatment. Woodard took the local chief of police, Lynwood Shull, to trial, but Shull was cleared of any wrongdoing. In response Woodard said:

The Right One hasn’t tried him yet... I’m not mad at anybody... I just feel bad. That’s all. I just feel bad.