Civil rights to the White House: Black leaders who blazed trails in US politics and changed American history
By Chris Williams
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The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is shown in the early morning light on Martin Luther King Day January 15, 2018 in Washington DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The Civil Rights Movement marked a pivotal turning point in Black history. First gaining traction in the 1950s with Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, civil rights advocates demonstrated, protested and remained steadfast in the fight for equality between communities.
Advocates for equality knew their work wasn’t in vain when the U.S. elected its first Black president in 2008 and then elected its first female and Black vice president in 2020 — both historic moments.