New Georgia Encyclopedia: Black Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement

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Black Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement

Many major figures in the struggle for civil rights in the South were from Georgia or lived in Georgia before, during, and after the turbulent 1950s and 1960s. As nonviolent warriors for racial equality, these men and women staged sit-ins, mobilized black voter registration drives, challenged and helped to dismantle segregation laws, and set up important coalitions that are still relevant today. Beyond their roles as civil rights leaders, they were also judges, war veterans, attorneys, ministers, politicians, and mothers and fathers. Like their legacies, some of these leaders are still alive and active today; others passed away in the midst of the civil rights movement but left their mark on civil rights history in Georgia and the nation. From Martin Luther King Jr., the most prominent civil rights leader, to Grace Towns Hamilton, the first black woman elected to the Georgia state legislature, these men and women stand out for the sacrifices they made to advance racial justice. Without their groundbreaking, rule-breaking efforts, the political, economic, and social landscape of Georgia and the South would be vastly different from what it is today.

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Clarence A. Bacote (1906-1981)
Clarence A. Bacote was a distinguished historian, scholar, and political activist who dedicated his life...

Grace Towns Hamilton (1907-1992)
The first African American woman elected to the Georgia General Assembly, Grace Towns Hamilton was also...

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
Martin Luther King Jr., Baptist minister and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference...

W. W. Law (1923-2002)
W. W. Law was a crusader for justice and the civil rights of African Americans. He served as president...

Walter White (1893-1955)
A native of Atlanta, Walter White served as chief secretary of the National Association for the Advancement...

John Lewis (b. 1940)
A devout advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence and the belief that all men and women are created...

Vernon Jordan (b. 1935)
Vernon Jordan, a lawyer and presidential advisor, has been an influential figure in the civil rights...

A. T. Walden (1885-1965)
A. T. Walden was a noted attorney, a civil rights leader, and one of the New South's first black political...

Coretta Scott King (1927-2006)
As a proponent of civil and human rights, Coretta Scott King helped her husband, the Reverend Dr. Martin...

William Holmes Borders (1905-1993)
Between 1937 and 1988, the Reverend William Holmes Borders served as pastor of Wheat Street Baptist Church...

Jesse Hill (b. 1927)
Jesse Hill, one of Atlanta's most prominent African American civil rights leaders, was the president...

Leroy Johnson (b. 1928)
Leroy Johnson, a prominent attorney, was an advisor to Atlanta's civil rights movement in the 1960s....

Bernice Johnson Reagon (b. 1942)
During the civil rights movement, Bernice Johnson Reagon distinguished herself as a committed student...

Hosea Williams (1926-2000)
Hosea Williams, a former aide to Martin Luther King Jr., was a principal leader of the civil rights movement...

Julian Bond (b. 1940)
As protester, politician, scholar, and lecturer, Julian Bond has remained committed to civil rights,...

C. B. King (1923-1988)
C. B. King was a prominent African American lawyer known for his courage, courtroom eloquence, and legal...

Slater King (1927-1969)
Civil rights activist Slater King was a successful real estate broker who focused his entrepreneurial...

Horace T. Ward (b. 1927)
In 1950 Horace T. Ward became the first African American to challenge the racially discriminatory practices...

Andrew Young (b. 1932)
Andrew Young's lifelong work as a politician, human rights activist, and businessman has been in great...

Joseph Lowery (b. 1924)
Joseph Lowery, a distinguished civil rights leader and respected Methodist minister, helped to organize,...

Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990)
Ralph Abernathy was Martin Luther King Jr.'s chief partner in the civil rights movement. He helped to...

John Wesley Dobbs (1882-1961)
Often referred to as the unofficial mayor of Auburn Avenue, John Wesley Dobbs was one of several distinguished...

William G. Anderson (b. 1927)
During the early 1960s William G. Anderson received national attention as the president of the Albany...

Thomas Brewer (1894-1956)
Thomas Brewer, an African American physician, spearheaded the drive for racial equality in Columbus from...

Donald Hollowell (1917-2004)
As one of a handful of black lawyers practicing civil rights law in the 1950s and 1960s, Donald Hollowell...

Benjamin Mays (ca. 1894-1984)
A distinguished African American minister, educator, scholar, and social activist, Benjamin Mays is perhaps...

Earl T. Shinhoster (1950-2000)
Throughout more than thirty years of service to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored...

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