Civil Rights Movement Archives - Rolling Out

Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer’s life will be chronicled in an upcoming film titled God’s Long Summer. Hip-hop veteran and actor Common will produce the project, which will detail her rise from a Mississippi sharecropper to helping to lead voting rights initiatives. “Fannie Lou Hamer is a revolutionary figure we should all know. Her…

Steve Wonder paid tribute to his hero Dr. Martin Luther Jr. once again and this year he spoke an open letter to the slain Civil Rights leader. During the four-minute speech, he addresses America’s race problem and calls for the new Biden-Harris administration to tackle it head on and launch a truth commission on inequality…

Photo courtesy of Mr. Eddie 'Big Cat' Odom, Mrs. Odom's son.

There is no statue honoring Yvonne Bernadette Lee Odom in my hometown of Delray Beach, Florida. I would like to feign surprise, but I am not that good a thespian. The same reason she does not have a statue celebrating her life-risking sacrifice to improve society is the same reason there is little to no…

Each year on the third Monday during the month of January, people gather around the world to honor the legacy of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year, on Jan. 21, 2019, Atlanta‘s historic Auburn Avenue was filled with people dedicating their holiday to activism, mindfulness and reflection. Some visited the crypts…

There was a time when the narratives of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement’s heroes belonged to us, Black people. After Dr. King’s stock went public in 1986, the first year of the national holiday, that all changed. If you want to witness the fruits of White supremacy’s labor, pay close…

Jay-Z has been a major voice in the entertainment industry when it comes civil rights issues and Black empowerment, and this weekend the megastar mogul shared some powerful words in honor of the late Trayvon Martin as he honored his memory, as well as others who have been lost to gun violence and police brutality.…

One of the most acclaimed films of 2017, a box office hit and a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro premieres on Independent Lens tonight at 9/8c on PBS (check local listings). I Am Not Your Negro envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, a radical…

The St. Louis City NAACP dedicated a beautiful statute to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.’s 14th National President Frankie Muse Freeman today in Kiener Plaza. She is truly a living legend. Frankie M. Freeman who will be turning 101 years young on Friday! Well deserved! pic.twitter.com/B7ZtCbGgAT — DST Central Region (@C3regionDST) November 22, 2017 Civil…

As the feeling goes in the Black community, the wider society loves what African Americans contribute to society — they just don’t love the race that produces that contribution. And even more, they love stealing it, misappropriating it and abusing that contribution for their own profit and selfish desires. As an example, a luxury toilet…

Congressman and icon of the Civil Rights Movement John Lewis recently released March: Book Three, the final entry in a trilogy of graphic novels recounting the history of the movement from Lewis’ perspective. The first two installments were well-received, with March: Book One becoming the first graphic novel to win a Robert F. Kennedy Book…

Matty Rich is best known for his multplei award-winning movie Straight Out of Brooklyn — winning the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival; the NAACP Image Award; the Independent Spirit Award; the CEBA Award; the Big Apple Award; the Producer’s Guild of America Award; and the Nova Award. Made for $77,000, it can be seen…

“From oppressive and crippling surroundings, George Washington Carver lifted his searching, creative mind to the ordinary peanut, and found therein extraordinary possibilities for goods and products unthinkable by minds of the past, and left for succeeding generations an inspiring example of how an individual could rise above the paralyzing conditions of circumstance.” –Dr. Martin Luther…

My grandfather, Levi Benjamin Daniels, lived by a strict set of rules that I became aware of on a ninety-degree summer day in Delray Beach, Florida. We were standing outside the local Winn Dixie grocery store when I noticed a man selling watermelon slices for a dollar. A number of people entering and exiting the…

The National Black Church Initiative led by Rev. Anthony Evans issued a statement late Monday night following Donald Trump’s controversial meeting with Black pastors earlier that day on Nov. 30, 2015. The letter stated in part that Trump, a member of the Presbyterian community, “is a cancer on our democracy and the pervasiveness of this cancer…

Who could have a problem with the Black Lives Matter movement? Does it seek to diminish the lives of others? Does it ask people to violently confront perceived injustices? Does it ask for any conclusion that is not based on the concepts of fairness and justice? The discussion of race in American political culture is extremely difficult. Often,…

A shocking piece of news has hit the old guard of the civil rights. The Rev. Walter Fauntroy is currently on the run from police for writing a $50,000 bad check six years ago for an inauguration party for President Barack Obama. Fauntroy was one of the original planners for the famous March on Washington…

Carmen Ejogo found herself in a fairly unique position once she landed the role of Coretta Scott King in the highly-anticipated Civil Rights drama SELMA. She had to step back into the shoes of one of the most iconic women of the movement

Rapper A$AP Rocky was asked in a recent interview about his recent diss of the fashion brand Hood By Air on his track “Multiply.” On the track, Rocky raps “HBA s–t is weak, you can keep that” Speaking with The Cut about his diss of Hood By Air and Been Trill brands, Rocky said that he absolutely meant what he said, but that there isn’t much to explain.

Actor Harry Belafonte is being honored by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for his humanitarian work. The honorary award will be received by Belafonte at the academy’s Governors Awards on November 8. Though known as the “king of calypso” and having shared the screen with the likes of the gorgeous Dorothy Dandridge, Belafonte…

During the show, BET’s head-woman-in-charge took a slight break from the entertainment to recognize a pivotal moment in American history — the upcoming 50 year anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement. On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, freeing all people of color from racial, gender and cultural discrimination…