civil rights Archives - Rolling Out

After weeks of media coverage about rioters and looters who hijacked protests following George Floyd’s death, Washington D.C. held its breath as Juneteenth marches wound up their springs on Friday. No one needed to worry. It was festive, not angry. People sold T-shirts. One woman led hundreds down Pennsylvania Avenue while belting Beyoncé’s “Freedom” anthem…

When all is said and done, Black Lives Matter, the movement, could stand as one of the most successful civil rights efforts in the history of the US and the world. For months, the momentum built by BLM organizers has worked to include and highlight lateral actions of allies, while simultaneously inspiring corporations, big and…

There is no better time than now to educate yourself on systematic racism. There are countless books and films available at your disposal some for free and others at a charge. Just Mercy is now one of those informative films that is now available to people for free. On Monday, June 1, Warner Bros. made…

Tamika Mallory is a social justice leader, and a political activist who is leading the charge in advocating for human rights, civil rights and equality for women. The New York native tackles big issues like gun violence, criminal justice reform and police accountability. Mallory is a former executive director of the National Action Network and…

Andrea Young is a civil and human rights advocate and the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, which for more than 60 years has been fighting to protect and extend the civil rights and civil liberties of all people. Prior to her role at the ACLU, Young was an adjunct professor…

Joseph Lowery died on March 27, 2020, at the age of 98. The civil rights legend was born on Oct. 6, 1921, in Huntsville, Alabama, and began working as a prominent voice in the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1950s. In 1957, Lowery formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with Dr. Martin Luther King…

To commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, U.S. Bank, and its subsidiary Elavon launched a new African American business resource group chapter and presented a special program to honor the civil rights leader’s legacy. The program featured a fireside conversation between chapter president and Elavon vice president of education and engagement Terra Wallace and the…

Revered Georgia congressman John Lewis stared down White supremacy and Southern segregationists during the Civil Rights era. There is no doubt, his friends say, that the legendary legislator will not flinch as he prepares to go to war with the type of cancer that has a low survival rate. Lewis, D-Georgia, told his supporters that…

Comic legend Bill Cosby conducted a scorched-earth policy in his first interview since being imprisoned at SCI Phoenix, a maximum-security Pennsylvania penitentiary near Philadelphia. Cosby, 82, told the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s BlackPressUSA.com that he has no “remorse” and was “set up” by “imposters” in order to secure a guilty verdict. He is currently serving…

Former U.S. Rep. John Conyers has passed away at age 90. The legendary congressman had a career in politics that lasted over 50 years, making him the longest Black person to serve in the U.S. Congress. A native of Detroit, Conyers worked to establish a national holiday for Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Conyers introduced…

Sherrilyn Ifill has been committed to justice and equality for more than three decades. She is the president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., an organization separate from the NAACP that focuses on civil rights law. As the second woman to hold that position, Ifill represented the organization at the…

Just days away from his 78th birthday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is on the ground in Los Angeles doing what he does best: fighting for the rights of African Americans. While preparing a report card for the billion-dollar entertainment industry in the City of Angels, he has his sights set on the Rainbow PUSH…

Alan Maloney, a New Jersey-based White referee with a checkered past that borders racial bias against Black peers, students and athletes, was suspended for his role in demeaning a Buena High School Black wrestler last December. As previously reported, Maloney, who has also been accused of calling a fellow referee the N-word over a dispute…

Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s statements regarding his position on NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy sparked a flame of contention that has existed between the mayor and citizens of the city of New York, for BeBlasio’s refusal to terminate the officers responsible for the murder of Eric Garner, most notably Daniel Pantaleo. DeBlasio’s refusal to fire the officers is…

On June 29, 2019, the Chicago White Sox, during a game versus the Minnesota Twins, decided to share pictures of a few famous Chicagoans. The scoreboard read: “Other famous people from Chicagoland,” and a picture of Emmett Till was bookended by those of “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak and actor and director Orson Welles.…

Mawuli Mel Davis is a founding partner of the Davis Bozeman Law Firm where he leads its civil rights division. Davis attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he played varsity basketball and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, and served in the U.S. Navy as an officer for nearly 10 years.…

Two Ohio jail guards are now prisoners after a brutal assault was captured on CCTV. The incident occurred at the Cuyahoga County Jail in Cleveland, Ohio and shows inmate Terrance Debose, 47, fully restrained in a chair at the facility. Corrections Cpl. Nicholas Evan is in the room with Debose and is seen inexplicably turning off…

City: Atlanta Organization: MovementForward Inc. and OneCOP initiative Religion: Baptist Social media handles: @revmarkel The Rev. Markel Hutchins, 41, is head of MovementForward Inc., a “modern collaborative for human and civil rights,” that is focused on inclusively involving people of every race, ideology and professional sector in social activism. He is a well-known figure in metro…

Anika Bowie is young, vibrant, educated and active civil rights and community leader who is ready to shake up the neighborhood where she was raised. She currently holds many titles in Minnesota, which positions her for bringing change to St. Paul Ward 1. She is the vice president of the Minneapolis NAACP, commissioner for the…

Angela Whitehead of Billings, Montana has become a “shero” to millions of people fed up with police overstepping their authority. Whitehead had her door open while she was smoking a cigarette and having an argument with a member of her household. Two unidentified Billings police officers decided to enter her home without cause and subsequently got…