Speaking of the 50th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr., this report by The New York Times pays homage to all the women who accompanied him in his fight for civil rights.
According to Diane Nash who was one of the leaders who helped coordinate the historic 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery , women played a key role in the civil rights movement: “Women wrote pamphlets, they made fliers, and they cooked – providing sustenance to protesters so that the demonstrations could last longer”, she said. Women also went to jail.
“Women developed strategy, taught in citizenship school, and in short, could and did perform all of the tasks necessary for the movement,” Nash pointed out.
Unfortunely, they were often in the background, not the forefront which is why, even five decades after King’s death, many female organizers remain not-so-household names.Perhaps the most recognized leader historically has been Rosa Parks but with her Gloria Richardson, Dorothy Height, Juanita Jones, Septima Clark, Dorothy Cotton, Ella Baker, Bernice Johnson and Fanny Lou Hamer contributed brilliantly to the consolidation of the movement.
The complete stories of these leaders can be found in: