Image From the Urban League of Portland Records Oregon State University Archives Civil rights activist Edwin C. “Bill” Berry was affiliated with the Urban League for over 30 years and served as executive director of the Chicago Urban League from 1956 to 1970. When … Read MoreEdwin C. “Bill” Berry (1910- 1987)
Marinship Workers, ca. 1943 Image Ownership: Public Domain James v. Marinship was a California Supreme Court decision that ruled that jobs requiring labor union membership could not exclude blacks or other racial groups. The Marinship Corporation operated various shipyards and was involved in the building … Read MoreJames v. Marinship (1944)
The Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) was created on December 4, 1967, by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to address the issues of unemployment, housing shortages for the poor, and the impact of poverty on the lives of millions of Americans. Unlike earlier efforts directed … Read MorePoor People’s Campaign (December 4, 1967 – June 19, 1968)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in front of SCLC Headquarters in Atlanta Image ownership: Public Domain The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was created on January 10-11, 1957, when sixty black ministers and civil rights leaders met in Atlanta, Georgia in an effort to replicate … Read MoreSouthern Christian Leadership Conference (1957 – )
The Seattle Civic Unity Committee was formed by Seattle Mayor William F. Devin in 1944 in response to rising racial tension in the city. During World War II Seattle, like other west coast cities, received an influx of African Americans raising its black population from … Read MoreSeattle Civic Unity Committee
Arthur D. Shores, attorney and civil rights activist, was born in Birmingham, Alabama on September 23, 1903. He completed his primary and secondary education in that same city. In 1927 he earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Talladega College in Alabama and then a … Read MoreArthur D Shores (1903-1996)
Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth was born on March 18, 1922 in Mount Meigs, Alabama to Vetta Green and Alberta Robinson. However, his mother and stepfather, William Nathan Shuttlesworth, a farmer in Oxmore, Alabama raised Fred Shuttlesworth. Shuttlesworth attended Oxmore Elementary School. He graduated from Rosedale High … Read MoreFred Shuttlesworth (1922-2011)
Ernie Davis with the Heisman Trophy, 1961 Image Ownership: Public Domain Ernie Davis is best known for being one of the greatest football players in college football history and the first black person to win the Heisman Trophy. In the process, Davis became an icon … Read MoreErnie Davis (1940-1963)
Fair Employment Practices Committee Meeting, 1942 Image Ownership: Public Domain On June 25, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, creating a Committee on Fair Employment Practices (FEPC) to investigate complaints of discrimination and take action against valid complaints in any defense industry … Read MorePresident’s Committee on Fair Employment Practice (FEPC)
Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in the Ville, ca. 1990 The Ville is a residential and business district remembered as the cultural center of the African American community in St. Louis, Missouri. The Ville, located just northwest of downtown St. Louis, was open to African … Read MoreThe Ville (St. Louis, MO)