June 11, 1965: Chicago School Boycott
More than 100,000 students stayed out of school to protest inequality and segregation in Chicago, Illinois.
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Theme: Civil Rights Movements
Civil Rights Movements
June 28, 1969: Stonewall Riots
Police arrived at the Stonewall Inn and arrested anyone found to be cross-dressing, resulting in mayhem and what are now referred to as the Stonewall Riots. This was a milestone in a long history of LGBTQ+ activism.
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COINTELPRO: Teaching the FBI’s War on the Black Freedom Movement
Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. Rethinking Schools. 29 pages.
Through examining FBI documents, students learn the scope of the FBI’s COINTELPRO campaign to spy on, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt all corners of the Black Freedom Movement.
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Through examining FBI documents, students learn the scope of the FBI’s COINTELPRO campaign to spy on, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt all corners of the Black Freedom Movement.
Aug. 4, 1964: Civil Rights Workers Bodies Found
The bodies of three lynched civil rights workers (James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman) were found in Neshoba County, Mississippi.
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In Their Own Voice: Activists Tell the History of the Civil Rights Movement
Digital collection. The Library of Congress has launched an online collection of oral history interviews with Civil Rights Movement veterans.
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Howard Zinn’s Southern Diary
Book — Non-fiction. By Robert Cohen. 2018. 312 pages.
A historical overview and diary entries from Howard Zinn's years as an activist professor at Spelman College.
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A historical overview and diary entries from Howard Zinn's years as an activist professor at Spelman College.
Teaching SNCC: The Organization at the Heart of the Civil Rights Revolution
Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez. Rethinking Schools. 24 pages.
A series of role plays that explore the history and evolution of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, including freedom rides and voter registration.
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A series of role plays that explore the history and evolution of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, including freedom rides and voter registration.
Clyde Kennard Letter to the Editor, The American, 1959
Article. By Clyde Kennard. 1959.
Letter to the editor the Hattiesburg American about race and integration.
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Letter to the editor the Hattiesburg American about race and integration.
Oct. 1, 1964: Free Speech Movement
The Free Speech Movement was launched at UC–Berkeley.
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A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History
Book — Non-fiction. By Jeanne Theoharis. 2018. 282 pages.
A non-academic, popular historiography that challenges educators to revamp curriculum to include a fuller, more critical history of the Civil Rights era.
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A non-academic, popular historiography that challenges educators to revamp curriculum to include a fuller, more critical history of the Civil Rights era.
Oct. 25, 1958: Youth March for Integrated Schools
A. Philip Randolph, Jackie Robinson, Coretta Scott King, Harry Belafonte, Bayard Rustin, and more led a Youth March for Integrated Schools in Washington, D.C.
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Oct. 30, 1959: Luther Jackson Murdered
Luther Jackson was murdered by Philadelphia, Mississippi policeman Lawrence Rainey.
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Dec. 20, 1956: Montgomery Bus Boycott Prevails
After a 381-day boycott, a federal ruling declared the Alabama laws requiring segregated buses to be unconstitutional.
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Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the 21st Century
Book — Non-fiction. By Barbara Ransby. 2018. 240 pages.
"A love letter to the organizers in the Movement for Black Lives, and a tribute to their increasingly expansive vision."
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"A love letter to the organizers in the Movement for Black Lives, and a tribute to their increasingly expansive vision."
Jan. 4, 1965: Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Challenges Congress
Hundreds of Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party supporters went to support the Challenge to the seating of the Mississippi delegation.
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Jan. 9, 1967: Julian Bond Sworn in Georgia House of Representatives
Julian Bond was finally sworn in as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives.
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Jan. 19, 1966: Georgia State House Refused to Seat Julian Bond
The Georgia State House of Representatives refused to seat elected state representative Julian Bond due to his public statements against the Vietnam War.
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Jan. 23, 1963: Patricia Stephens Due Arrested in Florida
Patricia Stephens Due is arrested by the police in the segregated lobby of the Florida Theater in Tallahassee.
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Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins
Picture book. By Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. Illustrated by Jade Johnson. 2018. 32 pages.
The true story of a teacher who led her students to take direct non-violent action to protest segregation.
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The true story of a teacher who led her students to take direct non-violent action to protest segregation.
Feb. 3, 1964: New York City School Children Boycott School
More than 450,000 New York City school children boycotted school as part of a protest for quality schools for Black and Latino students.
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Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968
Picture book. By Alice Faye Duncan. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. 2018. 40 pages.
A historical fiction picture book that presents the story of nine-year-old Lorraine Jackson, who in 1968 witnessed the Memphis sanitation strike.
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A historical fiction picture book that presents the story of nine-year-old Lorraine Jackson, who in 1968 witnessed the Memphis sanitation strike.