The Invisibles of the Civil Rights Movement: Uncovering the Unseen Changemakers

<p>Every successful social movement needs both charismatic leaders and faithful followers who enact the vision of the leaders. The American civil rights movement is a model for how this works. Leaders like John Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, and Andrew Young were crucial to the movement’s success, but they needed countless people working to fulfill their vision. Unfortunately, when historians recall the most significant activists of the American civil rights movement, many foot soldiers are overlooked. King’s leadership was strengthened because of the commitment of his followers, many who are unknown nationally. He led the way only because there were faithful followers who carved their own paths that contributed to the movement. This project tells the story of six unseen changemakers who impacted America’s civil rights history in powerful ways. It highlights six extraordinary people who made an impact in the civil rights movement but were largely unheralded. Though known in their communities, they were not recognized on a national scale. The project illustrates their stories as a recovery narrative that reveals how these relatively unknown figures acted to transform the racial equality of King’s dream into observable progress in their communities.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)

Level thesis:degree_level

Capstone

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Greene, John

Contributors dc:contributor

• Laura McGrath
• Garrard Conley

• U.S. History
• biography
• civil rights
• social movements
• equality
• equal rights
• Creative Writing
• Public History
• Social History
• United States History

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/136

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu:mapw_etd-1139