Civil Rights All pictures taken by Percy White and are the property of FindFamilyRoots.com unless otherwise indicated.
Octavius Valentine Catto
February 22, 1839 to October 10, 1871 |
The Forgotten Hero Written on the gravestone are the words: "O.V. Catto was a prominent scholar and dominant leader in the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-1800’s who led efforts to register thousands of African Americans to vote. He worked tirelessly in the face of violence and open hostility towards black participation in the political process. Catto was a member of numerous civic, literary, patriotic and political groups including the Franklin Institute and the Union League Association. He was the Headmaster at the Institute for Colored Youth later named Cheyney University. He served in the Pennsylvania National Guard as a major in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was assassinated on Election Day, October 10, 1871 in front of a polling place on the 700 block of South Street in South Philadelphia."
PICTURES: L: Octavius Valentine Catto. R: Gravestone.
SOURCES: Headstone Octavius Valentine Catto. 2009. Eden Cemetery, Collindale, PA, 30 Apr. 2009. Lecture Cockroft, Mina: Historic Eden Cemetery, Eden Cemetery Office, Collingdale, PA, 30 Apr. 2009. Interview. Site Visit Gravesite. Eden Cemetery, Collingdale, PA. 30 Apr. 2009.
INTERRED: Eden Cemetery Company, 1434 Springfield Road, Collingdale, PA 19023. Phone: 610-583-8737. Map of cemetery.
SUBMITTED: May 1, 2009. Pictures taken April 30, 2009.
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Medgar Wylie Evers July 2, 1925 to June 12, 1963 |
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Hired in 1954 as a Field Secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Medgar Evers worked in the Deep South, delta region of Mississippi at a time when it was dangerous for African Americans to even talk about the NAACP. His main responsibilities included recruitment and enrollment of new members. He brought attention to attempts made by racists groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the White Citizen’s Counsels to discourage and prohibit African Americans from pursuing and achieving Civil Rights. According to statistics provided by the Archives at Tuskegee Institute, between 1882 and 1968, 539 African Americans were lynched in Mississippi; more lynchings than any other state. In his travels throughout Mississippi, Medgar was threatened and beaten. In May of 1963, a month before his murder, a bomb was tossed in his garage. After returning from a meeting with civil rights workers on June 12, 1963, a few minutes after midnight, Medgar Evers was shot in the back while getting out of his car parked in the driveway of his home. He died minutes later at a local hospital. His murder was a rallying point for the civil rights movement of the 60’s. The shooter, Byron De La Beckwith, a known segregationist and Ku Klux Klan member was tried in 1963 and 1964. Both times the all white male jury could not reach a verdict. In 1994, De La Beckwith was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, more than 30 years after the murder of Medgar Evers. The 1996 film Ghosts of Mississippi portrayed the 1994 retrial of Byron De La Beckwith.
PICTURES: Top L: Medgar Evers, internet public domain. Top R: His home and location of his murder. Bottom L: Plaque attached to front of home. Bottom R: Grave marker.
SOURCES: Books Appiah, Kwame, Anthony and Gates, Henry Louis, ed. "Africana The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience." 1st ed. New York: Civitas, 1999. Print. Rubel, David. "The Coming Free: The Struggle for African-American Equality." New York: DK Publishing, 2005. Print. Williams - Evers, Myrlie and Marable, Manning, ed. "The Autobiography of Medgar Evers." New York: Civitas, 2005. Print. Internet "The Legacy of Megar Evers: 40 Years After Civil Rights Leader's Death, a Changed Mississippi." NPR.org, Web. 15 Oct. 2008. Site Visit Home. Jackson, MS. 20 Dec. 2008. Gravesite. Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. 30 Apr. 2010.
INTERRED: Arlington National Cemetery
SUBMITTED: March 13, 2009 and updated April 30, 2010. Pictures taken December 20, 2008 and April 30, 2010, except black/white picture.
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Michael H. Schwener November 6, 1939 to June 21, 1964 James Earl Chaney May 30, 1943 to June 21, 1964 Andrew Goodman November 23, 1943 to June 21, 1964 |
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The Murder On June 21, 1963, during Freedom Summer, three young civil rights workers dedicated to registering people to vote were murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi. There names were Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman
Michael Schwerner, a white 24 year old graduate of Cornell University and a Social Worker in New York City. James Chaney, a black, 21 year old civil rights worker from Meridian, Mississippi and Andrew Goodman, a 20 year old Queens College student.
In January of 1964, Schwerner headed a black community center in Meridian and was later tasked with leading the eastern half of the state’s summer project. Chaney and Schwerner traveled throughout Mississippi and other states during Freedom Summer registering blacks to vote.
On June 16th while the two men trained volunteers in Ohio, the Ku Klux Klan burned down Mt. Zion Methodist Church in Longdale, Mississippi and beat its members. The location was to be used as a freedom school. When news of the fire and beatings reached Chaney and Schwerner they were in Oxford, Mississippi and decided to return to Meridian to offer support and stability to the people involved in the summer project.
During the long drive from Oxford, the two men stopped off in Longdale to sleep for a few hours. Before continuing their trip, they picked up Andrew Goodman, a worker assigned to Neshoba County. While on their way to Meridian, they were stopped by deputy sheriff Cecil Price of Neshoba County. He arrested Chaney for speeding and the other two young men were detained for questioning. All three were held in a Philadelphia jail. At approximately 10:00 p.m. on June 21st, the three men were released from jail never to be seen again until their bodies were found two months later buried in an earthen dam.
Each of the young men were shot however, James Chaney was tortured before he was killed. His arms were broken, he suffered trauma to the groin area and he was shot three times.
The Trial
In October of 1964, the FBI arrested 18 men but the state refused to prosecute them based on insufficient evidence. The FBI charged the men with conspiracy. Seven of them were found guilty and sentenced to three to ten years. None of the men served more than six years in prison. Eight of them were found not guilty by the all white jury and three of the cases ended in a mistrial.
Edger Ray Killen, one of the men freed by the mistrial was believed to be the leader. His case was reopened and in January of 2005, Killen was charged with the murders of Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman. On June 21, 2005, 41 years after their death, Killen was found guilty of three counts of Manslaughter. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on each count, to run consecutively. At the time of his sentencing Killen was 80 years old.
PICTURES: Top: FBI Missing Poster. Second Row L: Michael Schwerner. Second Row Middle: James Chaney. Second Row R: Andrew Goodman. Third L: Location of memorial to Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman, Mt. Nebo Missionary Baptist Church, 257 Carver Avenue, Philadelphia, Ms 39350, 601-656-1446. Third Row R: Memorial to Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman. Fourth Row L: James Chaney's and his mother's Fannie Lee Chaney's Grave. Fourth Row Middle: Close up of James Chaney's Grave. Forty five years after his death, vandals desecrated Chaney's grave. His picture, once atop the gravestone has been shot out. Support beams were attached to the headstone to stop it from being knocked over. Fourth Row R: Side view graves of James Chaney and his mother Fannie Lee Chaney.
SOURCES: Internet Douglas, Martin. "Fannie Lee Chaney, 84, Mother of Slain Civil Rights Worker, Is Dead." NYTimes.com, Web. 11 Nov. 2008. Haberman, Clyde. "A Life of Protest and Forgivness." NYTimes.com, Web. 11 Nov. 2008. "Mississippi: Convictions Upheld." NYTimes.com, Web. 11 Nov. 2008. The James Earl Chaney Foundation. JECF.org, Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
Lecture Chaney, Ben. James Chaney: Freedom Rider. Franklin P. Backus Courthouse, Alexandria, VA. 24 Feb. 2011. Interview. Site Visit Gravesite. Meridian, MS. 24 Dec. 2008.
INTERRED: Okatibbee Cemetery, Fish Lodge Road, Meridian, Mississippi 39306.
SUBMITTED: February 14, 2009. Updated February 24, 2011. Pictures taken December 24, 2008.
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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. January 15, 1929 to April 4, 1968 |
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated while visiting Memphis, TN. He was there to march with sanitation workers who were on strike for better pay and overall equality in the workplace.
PICTURES: Top L: Dr. King and Lyndon Johnson, internet public domain. Top R: Plaque in front of Lorraine Motel. Second Row L: The Lorraine Motel. The wreath shows where Dr. King stood when he was killed. Second Row R: Lorraine Motel Sign. Third Row L: Caisson pulled by two mules through the streets of Atlanta from Ebenezer Baptist Church to Morehouse College. The mule drawn cart symbolized Dr. King’s work with the poor. Picture taken inside the visitor’s center. Third Row R: The wagon used to carry the casket. Picture taken inside the visitor’s center. Fourth Row Left: Entrance to MLK JR. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Fourth Row R: The tomb of Dr. and Mrs. King. Fifth Row L: Corner view. Fifth Row R: Side view. Video: First TV interview 1957. INTERRED: The King Center. 449 Auburn Avenue, NE Atlanta, GA 30312. Phone: 404-526-8900
SUBMITTED: April 5, 2008, August 11, 2008 and August 20, 2009. First and second row color pictures taken December 28, 2005. Third through fifth row color pictures taken August 3, 2009.
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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Continued |
PICTURES: Top L: The home in which Dr. King was born in and lived for the first 12 years of his life. Top R: Walkway leading to the house. Second Row L: The King Family circa 1939. First row, left to right: Alfred Daniel (A.D.), Christine and Martin. Standing left to right: MLK Jr.'s mother Alberta Williams King, MLK Sr. and maternal grandmother Jennie Williams who live with the family until her death in 1941. Second Row R: Dr. King with Martin III and Yolanda. Third Row: The room in which Dr. King was born. Fourth Row Left: Living room of the King home. Fourth Row R: Kitchen of the King home. Fifth Row: Picture posted on a billboard near Atlanta alleging MLK Jr. is a communist. UPI picture taken June 16, 1965.
SOURCES: Books Appiah, Kwame, Anthony and Gates, Henry Louis, ed. "Africana The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience." 1st ed. New York: Civitas, 1999. Print. Branch, Taylor. "Parting the Waters, America in the King Years Years 1954-1963." New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988. Print. Rubel, David. "The Coming Free: The Struggle for African-American Equality." New York: DK Publishing, 2005. Print. Site Visit Dr. King's Childhod Home. Atlanta, GA, 3 Aug. 2009. Lorraine Motel, Memphis, TN. 28 Dec. 2005. Tomb. King Center. Atlanta, GA. 3 Aug. 2009.
INTERRED: The King Center. 449 Auburn Avenue, NE Atlanta, GA 30312. Phone: 404-526-8900
SUBMITTED: August 20, 2009. Pictures taken August 3, 2009. Black and white pictures are pictures taken of sections of the History Markers in front of the King home.
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Homer Adolph Plessy March 17, 1863 to March 1, 1925 |
In 1891 it was illegal for a black person in Louisiana to sit next to a white person on a train traveling within the state. On June 2, 1892, Homer Plessy, a black man, boarded a train in New Orleans, sat in the white only section and was arrested for violating the 1891 Louisiana Separate Car Act No. 111. The Louisiana law required that black and white passengers ride in separate railcars assigned to them based on their race. As a member of the Citizens Committee for Annulment of Act No. 111, Plessy and committee members viewed the law as unconstitutional under the 13th and 14th Amendments and challenged it through Plessy’s act of civil disobedience. In November of 1892, in the case of Plessy v. Louisiana State Court, Judge John Ferguson ruled against Plessy as did the Louisiana Supreme Court. The case Plessy v. Ferguson, as it became known, was appealed to the United States Supreme Court. On May 18, 1896, in a 7-1 decision the Supreme Court ruled against Plessy. Southern states adopted the Separate but Equal doctrine and used it to establish Jim Crow laws throughout the south. In 1954, the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education struck down Plessy v. Ferguson in a 9-0 decision.
PICTURES: Top L: Homer Plessy tomb. Top R: Inscription front of tomb. Second L: History plaque of Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case. Second R: Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court Decision document courtesy of the National Archives.
SOURCES: Books Hall, Kermi, L. and Ely Jr, James, W., "The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions Second Edition." New York: Oxford, 2009. Print.
Internet "Homer Adolph Plessy Civil Rights Activist (1863-1925)." StAugustineCatholicChurch-NewOrleans.org, Web. 6 May 2011.
Nikki Brown. "Jim Crow/Segregation (1865-1970)." KnowLAEncyclopediaofLouisiana.org, Web. 6 May 2011.
Site Visit Grave/tomb. St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans, LA. 29 Apr 2011.
INTERRED: St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans, LA 70112
SUBMITTED: June 1, 2011. Pictures taken April 29, 2011.
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Emmett Louis "Bo" Till July 25, 1941 to August 28, 1955 |
Emmett Till, a 14 year old black boy was killed in Money, Mississippi for allegedly disrespecting a white woman. Emmett Till grew up in Chicago and was sent by his mother, Mamie Till to spend the summer of 1955 with his great uncle, Moses Wright and cousins. On August 24, 1955, Emmett and his cousin Wheeler walked into Bryant Store to buy some candy and soda. Wheeler having made his purchase, walked out. Emmett was in the store a short time before his cousin Simeon went in to check on him. Emmett paid for his items and the two of them left the store. Carolyn Bryant came out behind them waking in the direction of her car, that's when Emmett whistled at her. Several days later Carolyn's husband, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam kidnapped Emmett from his great uncle's home in the middle of the night, drove him to a farm and brutally beat him to death. When Emmett's partially submerged body was found in the Tallahatchie River, he had been beaten, shot in the head and a 75 pound cotton gin fan was tied around his neck with barbed wire. On September 22, 1955, Jet Magazine published an article which included horrific pictures of Emmett’s beaten and disfigured body. The story was seen by thousands of people and is believed to be the catalyst for the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s. Bryant and Milam were charged with murder. The trial was held at Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi. The case lasted from September 19 to September 23 of 1955. Both men were found not guilty by an all-white, male jury. In an article published in January of 1956, in Look Magazine Bryant and Milam admitted to killing Emmett Till.
PICTURES: Top L: Emmett Till, courtesy of the Library of Congress. Top R: Open casket, Chicago Defender. Second Row L: Bryant's store. Second Row R: Bryant's store, side view. Third Row: Sumner Sign. Bottom L: Courthouse in Sumner, Miss. Bottom R: Inside Courtroom. Video: Who Killed Emmitt Till?
SOURCES: Books Bullard, Sara, ed. "A History of the Civil Rights Movement & Those Who Died In The Struggle." Montgomery: Southern Poverty Law Center. 2005. Print. Chafe, William H. "Remembering Jim Crow." New York: The New Press, 2001. Print. Rubel, David. "The Coming Free: The Struggle for African-American Equality." New York: DK Publishing, 2005. Print. Wright, Semeon and Boyd, Herb. "Simeon's Story." Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 2010. Print. Magazines “Emmett Till’s Day in Court.” Life Magazine 3 Oct. 1955: 36-38. Print. Huie, William Bradford. “The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi.” Look Magazine 24 Jan. 1956: 46-50. Print. “Will Mississippi Whitewash the Emmett Till Slaying?” Jet Magazine September 22, 1955: 8-12. Site Visit Bryant's Store. Money, MS. 27 Dec. 2006 and 20 Dec. 2008. Emmett Till's Grave, Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, IL. 2 Jul. 2011. Sumner County Courthouse, Sumner, MS. 25, Dec. 2005.
INTERRED: Burr Oak Cemetery, 4400 W. 127th Street and 44th Avenue, Alsip, Illinois 60658 Phone: 312-842-6645 or 773-233-5676. On July 9, 2009, stories ran in newspapers and on television referencing the historic Black cemetery. Felony charges were filed against four cemetery workers who allegedly dug up bodies and dumped them in a wooded area or doubled stacked them in existing graves. Workers were also accused of reselling the plots. The cemetery was closed for several months but is currently open.
SUBMITTED: April 5, 2008. Updated October 22, 2011. Pictures taken December 25, 2005 and December 27, 2006. Picture of Bryant's store updated December 20, 2008. Pictures of Emmett Public Domain February 22, 2009.
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Malcolm X, (El Hajj Malik El Shabazz) May 19, 1925 to February 21, 1965 Dr. Betty Shabazz May 28, 1936 to June 23, 1997 |
In May of 1964 after returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Malcolm X changed his name to El Hajj Malik El Shabazz to reflect his trip to Mecca and his more inclusive views on racial differences. He formed the Organization of African American Unity, (OAAU). Its goal was to raise the Negro’s struggle from the level of civil rights to the level of human rights and to charge the United States government, through the United Nations, with discrimination and genocide. On February 21, 1965, while addressing the audience at an OAAU gathering, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was shot several times and killed.
PICTURES: Top L: Malcolm X, courtesy of Library of Congress. Top R: Audubon Ballroom 3940 Broadway, NY, NY 10032. Bottom: The gravesites of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz.
SOURCES: Books Appiah, Kwame, Anthony and Gates, Henry Louis, ed. "Africana The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience." 1st ed. New York: Civitas, 1999. Print. Rubel, David. "The Coming Free: The Struggle for African-American Equality." New York: DK Publishing, 2005. Print. Site Visit Audubon Ballroom. New York, NY. 30 Dec. 2007. Gravesite. Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, NY. 30 Dec. 2007.
INTERRED: Ferncliff Cemetery, 280-284 Secor Road, P.O. Box 217, Hartsdale, NY 0530. Phone:(914-693-4700. Map of cemetery.
SUBMITTED: June 7, 2008. Updated August 11, 2008. Picture of Audubon Ballroom taken December 30, 2007. Picture of grave marker taken May 24, 2009, except black/white picture.
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Pictures taken and submitted by Percy White unless otherwise indicated Return to Top African American History, African American Culture, African American Churches, African American Cemeteries, African American Schools, Places of Interest in African American History |