civil rights Archives - Rolling Out

Over 500,000 people have signed a petition to have Edmund Pettus Bridge renamed in honor of the late-great John Lewis. On Aug. 7, community and civil rights leaders met in Selma, Alabama to discuss the possible change of the bridge, according to WSB-TV. But while the petition reveals a call for change, some in Selma…

Former President Barack Obama delivered a powerful eulogy for Congressman John Lewis. On Thursday, July 30, 2020, the 44th U.S. president shared details of Lewis’ upbringing and rise as a civil rights leader during the ceremony, which took place at historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. “I’ve come here today, because I, like so many…

Civil rights icon and U.S. Congressman John Lewis, is being celebrated on July 30, 2020, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Dignitaries in attendance include former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and U.S. Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. Obama will eulogize Lewis. On Friday, July…

As Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi facilitated a moment of silence after the passing of legendary Congressman John Lewis, the Democratic Party announced the candidate who will appear on the 2020 general election ballot to fill his seat. Democrats selected another dynamic civil servant who also hails from rural Alabama, where…

Following the death of civil rights icon and U.S. Congressman John Lewis, many are calling for a historic landmark to be renamed in his honor. On Friday, July 17, 2020, Lewis, who represented Georgia’s 5th Congressional District for more than three decades in the U.S. House of Representatives, died after being in hospice care in…

Congressman John Lewis has died at the age of 80 of pancreatic cancer. On July 17, 2020, reports emerged that Lewis died while in hospice care in Atlanta, according to reports by The Daily Beast. Born on Feb. 21, 1940, in Troy, Alabama, Lewis was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at an early…

The Rev. C.T. Vivian, a minister, civil rights icon and lieutenant of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died Friday, July 17, 2020, at his home in Atlanta. He was 95. Born Cordy Tindell Vivian in 1924 in Howard County, Missouri, he began his career as an activist in 1947 when he participated in a…

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…