Glossary
Agape love
A concept central to Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolent resistance, referring to a selfless, unconditional, and redemptive love that seeks nothing in return and extends to all, including oppressors.
Example:
King believed that agape love was the ultimate force for social transformation, capable of breaking cycles of hatred and injustice.
Big Four Civil Rights Organizations
A collective term referring to the four most prominent and influential civil rights groups during the mid-20th century, which often collaborated despite having distinct strategies.
Example:
The Big Four Civil Rights Organizations played a pivotal role in coordinating efforts for major events like the March on Washington.
Birmingham Children's Crusade
A pivotal 1963 demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama, where thousands of African American children marched to protest segregation, facing violent police responses.
Example:
Images of the Birmingham Children's Crusade, showing children being attacked by dogs and fire hoses, shocked the nation and galvanized support for civil rights legislation.
CORE
The Congress of Racial Equality was a civil rights organization known for pioneering direct action tactics such as sit-ins and Freedom Rides to challenge segregation.
Example:
The CORE organized the Freedom Rides to test the enforcement of desegregation laws on interstate buses, facing significant violence but drawing national attention.
Changing self-perception
A concept from MLK's 'Nonviolence and Racial Justice' essay, describing the shift in African Americans' self-image from accepting inferiority to embracing self-worth and dignity.
Example:
The Civil Rights Movement fostered a profound changing self-perception among Black Americans, empowering them to challenge systemic oppression with renewed confidence.
Civil Disobedience
The active, nonviolent refusal to obey certain laws, demands, or commands of a government or occupying power, as a form of protest.
Example:
Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a bus was an act of civil disobedience that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Landmark federal legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, effectively ending segregation in public places and banning discriminatory employment practices.
Example:
The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a monumental victory, leading to the desegregation of restaurants, hotels, and other public accommodations across the nation.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A Baptist minister and the most prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement, advocating for nonviolent protest and racial equality.
Example:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts in the struggle for civil rights.
Fannie Lou Hamer
A prominent civil rights activist and voting rights advocate who rose from sharecropping to become a powerful voice for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
Example:
Fannie Lou Hamer delivered a powerful testimony at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, exposing the brutal realities of voter suppression in Mississippi.
Freedom Schools
Temporary, alternative schools established during Mississippi Freedom Summer to provide education to African American children, focusing on Black history, civics, and leadership skills.
Example:
Freedom Schools aimed to empower young people with knowledge and critical thinking skills that were often denied in segregated public schools.
Global quest for freedom
A theme in MLK's 'Nonviolence and Racial Justice' essay, positing that the African American struggle for civil rights is interconnected with broader international movements against oppression and colonialism.
Example:
King viewed the fight against segregation in the U.S. as part of a larger global quest for freedom, linking it to decolonization movements in Africa and Asia.
Gradualism
The belief or policy of achieving a goal, such as social or political reform, by gradual steps rather than by abrupt change.
Example:
John Lewis's speech 'The Revolution Is at Hand' was a strong rejection of gradualism, demanding immediate and comprehensive civil rights.
Grassroots Organizing
A method of community organizing that starts with local people and builds from the ground up, empowering individuals within a community to create change.
Example:
The efforts of local leaders like Fannie Lou Hamer exemplify effective grassroots organizing in the fight for voting rights.
I Have a Dream speech
A historic public speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington in 1963, calling for racial equality and an end to discrimination.
Example:
The powerful rhetoric of the I Have a Dream speech articulated the aspirations of the Civil Rights Movement and remains a symbol of hope and justice.
John Lewis and Colleagues, Prayer Demonstration at a Segregated Swimming Pool, Cairo, Illinois by Danny Lyon, 1962
A significant photograph by Danny Lyon depicting civil rights activists, including John Lewis, engaging in a nonviolent direct action protest against segregation at a public swimming pool.
Example:
The image of John Lewis and Colleagues, Prayer Demonstration at a Segregated Swimming Pool, Cairo, Illinois by Danny Lyon, 1962 powerfully illustrates the courage of activists challenging segregation in everyday public spaces.
March on Washington
A massive protest rally held in Washington D.C. in August 1963, advocating for civil and economic rights for African Americans.
Example:
The March on Washington culminated in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech, inspiring millions.
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
An alternative political party formed in 1964 by Black and white activists from Mississippi, challenging the legitimacy of the all-white Democratic Party delegation at the Democratic National Convention.
Example:
The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party sought to represent the disenfranchised Black population of Mississippi and expose the racial discrimination within the state's political system.
Mississippi Freedom Summer
A 1964 campaign to register as many African American voters as possible in Mississippi, a state with significant voter suppression and racial violence.
Example:
The violence faced by activists during Mississippi Freedom Summer, including the murder of three civil rights workers, highlighted the extreme dangers of challenging segregation.
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the oldest and largest civil rights organization, primarily focusing on legal challenges and litigation to achieve racial equality.
Example:
The NAACP successfully argued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, leading to the desegregation of public schools.
Nonviolence and Racial Justice
An essay by Martin Luther King Jr. from 1957, outlining the philosophical and theological foundations of his commitment to nonviolent resistance as a strategy for achieving racial equality.
Example:
In 'Nonviolence and Racial Justice,' King articulates how the struggle for civil rights is part of a global quest for freedom and emphasizes the transformative power of agape love.
Nonviolent resistance
A strategy for social change that involves achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic boycotts, or other methods, without the use of physical violence.
Example:
Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, the Civil Rights Movement adopted nonviolent resistance as its primary tactic, believing it to be both morally superior and strategically effective.
SCLC
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was an organization founded by Martin Luther King Jr. and other Black ministers, dedicated to achieving civil rights through nonviolent protest and civil disobedience.
Example:
Under the leadership of MLK Jr., the SCLC organized numerous impactful campaigns, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
SNCC
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was a youth-led organization that emerged from the sit-in movement, focusing on grassroots activism and voter registration drives.
Example:
During Mississippi Freedom Summer, SNCC activists worked tirelessly to register Black voters and establish Freedom Schools.
The Revolution Is at Hand
A powerful speech delivered by John Lewis in 1963, originally intended for the March on Washington, which called for immediate and radical action on civil rights and criticized the inadequacy of proposed legislation.
Example:
In The Revolution Is at Hand, John Lewis famously declared, 'We cannot be patient, we do not want to be free gradually. We want our freedom, and we want it now,' rejecting the idea of gradual progress.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
A federal law that prohibited racial discrimination in voting, banning literacy tests and poll taxes, and authorizing federal oversight of elections in areas with a history of voter suppression.
Example:
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 dramatically increased African American voter registration and political participation, leading to the election of more Black officials.