SAS Black History Month

1913-2005. The "first lady of civil rights." Her refusal to give up her seat to a white man sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the larger Civil Rights Movement.

• Ida B. Wells

• Rosa Parks

• Ella Baker

• Harriet Tubman

1818-1895. He escaped slavery in Maryland and went on to educate the public about the evils of slavery through his writings and speeches. Key figure in the antislavery movement.

• Martin Luther King, Jr.

• W.E.B. Dubois

• Booker T. Washington

• Frederick Douglass

1940-2020. Civil rights activist and congressman. Youngest speaker at the March on Washington. Freedom rider. Led the Selma to Montgomery marches.

• John Lewis

• James Farmer

• Medgar Evers

• Martin Luther King, Jr.

1875-1955. A child of formerly enslaved people, she fought for access to education for Black children and even opened her own school in Daytona, FL. Was a special advisor on minority affairs to President Franklin Roosevelt.

• Sojourner Truth

• Harriet Tubman

• Daisy Bates

• Mary McLeod Bethune

1797-1883. Born into slavery, was bought and sold four times before running away to an abolitionist family who paid for her freedom. She went on to speak out against slavery and for women's rights.

• Sojourner Truth

• Harrit Tubman

• Rosa Parks

• Ruby Bridges

1868-1963. One of the founders of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). First African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University. Scholar and activist who spoke out about racism and the need for equal rights for Black Americans.

• Carter G. Woodson

• James Farmer

• W.E.B. DuBois

• John Lewis

1945-Present. At age 6, she became the first Black student to desegregate an all-white elementary school in the South.

• Ella Baker

• Ruby Bridges

• Ida B. Wells

• Daisy Bates

1925-1963. WWII veteran and civil rights activist. Worked for the NAACP to help end segregation and fight for racial justice. Murdered in his driveway by a member of the KKK.

• Malcolm X

• Martin Luther King. Jr

• John Lewis

• Medgar Evers

1903-1986. Helped found the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Foundation) and SNCC (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee). Worked for over 50 years behind the scenes to support leaders and organize many nonviolent protests.

• Ella Baker

• Daisy Bates

• Ella Fitzgerald

• Mary McLeod Bethune

1942-2016. "The Greatest" American boxer and Olympic gold medal winner. Spoke out against the Vietnam War and for civil rights and racial pride. Known also for his charity work and fight with Parkinson's disease.

• Sugar Ray Leonard

• John Lewis

• Muhammed Ali

• James Farmer