Today, July 1, marks the beginning of #Freedom50, the commemoration of 50 years since the enactment of the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964.
Regarded by political historians as a landmark piece of legislation, the bill outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and ended public segregation. For the generation that had to live through it, they endured a bloody struggle to receive human equality in the United States. In the face of determined opposition from white supremacists, leaders emerged to lock horns to see who would end up on the right side of history.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s strategy of nonviolent resistance prompted the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to organize peaceful protests alongside the Deep South. Wading through treacherous back roads and towns where opponents only wanted to use vicious means, their negativity spearheaded media coverage and, eventually, public outrage.
As we commemorate #Freedom50, the masses still in the fight for all equality for all people can look at these images and reflect on the journey yet to come.
Take a look at these photos which show activists’ determined fight to gain racial equality right here in the USA, interspersed with a surprise or two.
St. Augustine Beach, Florida
White segregationists took out their frustration on a group of black civil rights demonstrators on June 25, 1964. The authorities moved in quickly to stop the fracas, and arrest numerous people.
St. Augustine Beach, Florida
White and black civil protestors were attacked and berated by police on June 25, 1964. As you can see, a state police officer has a club in hand, ready to strike a segregationist.
Monson Motor Lodge Restaurant
With integration as one of the driving focal points in the movement, these young men and women held prayer sessions in defiance of the then-Jim Crow laws. On June 18, 1964, members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference held their ground out of St. Augustine’s Monson Motor Lodge Restaurant.
East Cleveland, Ohio
Six members of the civil rights movement attempted to thwart an excavation happening in Cleveland’s east side. By sprawling their bodies across the ditch, the conductor of the big steam shovel dumped dirt over the protestors to frighten them. Other protestors laid in front of a cement truck.
St. Augustine, Florida
On June 19, 1964, the United States Senate passed the Civil Rights Bill, which earned a distinctive approval from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Greenwood, Mississippi
One of the few
places in the country that actively had peaceful demonstrations, these young children stage a voter registration mass picket outside of the County Court house. About 90 pickets of multiple ethnicities protested as police officers watched.Tremont Street Methodist
Boston played a heavy part in socially moving the needle during the civil rights movement. Here, Nigeria’s Akin Ade Wole stands hand-in-hand with John A. Sullivan and Bruce Nichols as part of a boycott of Boston public schools.
Murray Hill Public School
The year of 1964 began with a tug of war, as police and agitators fought it out in Cleveland. Civil rights demonstrators appeared at Murray Hill Public School to integrate the classes in the grade school. As you can see above, the agitators didn’t want that to happen and began shouting, throwing eggs, and made lots of problems for all parties involved.
Jackson Heights, New York City
Police attempt to remove protestors from the flushing line in the Jackson Heights section in New York City. April 22, 1964 found the city’s youth trying to stall a train which was headed to the World’s Fair in Queens.
Frankfort, Kentucky
A hunger strike in the state Capitol found 33 strong protestors fighting for the Kentucky Legislature to include a civil rights bill. Sitting in the House gallery since the beginning of the week, the group vowed to starve until action was taken. The bill was finally passed on January 27, 1966.
You can see more of these powerful images from the Civil Rights Movement and activism by clicking here, and please leave your comments below.