All articles tagged with #desegregation
Claudette Colvin, who at age 15 refused to give up her Montgomery bus seat nine months before Rosa Parks and helped spark the desegregation of U.S. buses, has died at 86. Her 1955 arrest remained largely unknown for decades, and she later became a nurse in New York; the following year the Supreme Court ruled to end bus segregation, and her legacy is honored by the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation in Texas.
Surviving members of the Little Rock Nine, the group of Black students who desegregated schools in Arkansas, expressed concerns about the state of history education in the United States. They criticized moves to limit access to American history and called for schools to provide comprehensive education. The civil rights leaders also highlighted the importance of students understanding the truth about their history and expressed worries about the restriction of African American Studies courses. They urged young people to demand better education and emphasized the need for positive change in the pursuit of equality.
President Harry S. Truman's executive order to desegregate the US armed forces 75 years ago marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement, setting the stage for further advancements in the 1950s and 1960s. The order, which called for equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the military, was a significant contribution to the fight for racial equality. President Joe Biden will be a keynote speaker at a symposium commemorating the anniversary, where the legacy of Truman's decision will be examined by military leaders, elected officials, journalists, and historians.
There are 32 school districts in Mississippi still under federal desegregation orders, according to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The Justice Department is also investigating at least five Mississippi jails and prisons, as well as allegations of police brutality in the small town of Lexington. Mississippi has the highest percentage of Black residents of any state, and the FBI has reported a rise in hate crimes in the U.S.