African-Americans

• 1950s/60s Civil Rights Movement


  Social + political campaign, aimed at ending racial segregation + discrimination against AA, + securing legal protections + equal rights under the law
• Brown v. Topeka - Landmark Supreme Court case declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine


  1954
• Murder of Emmett Till - Brutal killing of a young African American boy in Mississippi, galvanising the Civil Rights Movement + drawing attention to racial violence + injustice


  1955
• Montgomery Bus boycott - Civil rights protest sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, leading to a year-long boycott of the city's bus system


  1955
• Freedom Rides - Integrated bus journeys through the South to challenge segregation on interstate transportation, often met with violent resistance


  1960s
• MLK Peace protests - Nonviolent protests led by Martin Luther King Jr. advocating for civil rights, equality + social justice


  1960s
• Civil Rights Act - Landmark legislation outlawing discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex, or national origin + ending segregation in public places


  1964
• Voting Rights Act - Legislation aimed at overcoming legal barriers preventing African Americans from exercising their right to vote, particularly in the South


  1965
• Kerner Report - Government commission report highlighting the causes of urban riots in the US, including systemic racism + economic inequality


  1967
• Interracial marriage - Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia striking down laws banning interracial marriage as unconstitutional


  1967
• Little Rock High School - Pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement when nine African American students were integrated into an all-white high school amidst protests + violence


  1967
• Chicago Convention - Democratic National Convention marked by protests + clashes between police + anti-war demonstrators, highlighting divisions within the Democratic Party + broader society


  1968
• New Mexico Olympics - Protests by African American athletes, including Tommie Smith and John Carlos, during the medal ceremony at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, drawing attention to racial inequality


  1968
• Martin Luther King


  Civil rights leader + activist known for his nonviolent approach to achieving racial equality and his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech
• Malcolm X


  Influential civil rights leader and advocate for black empowerment, initially associated with the Nation of Islam before adopting a more moderate stance
• Black Panthers


  Revolutionary black nationalist organisation founded by Huey Newton + Bobby Seale, advocating armed self-defence + community empowerment in response to police brutality + systemic racism
• NAACP membership rose
• More AA earning over £10,000/ year