Civil Rights Movement Collection

Police dog attacking a young black man during the Youth Mass Demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama, spring 1963
CIVIL RIGHTS, 1963. Police dog attacking a young black man during the Youth Mass Demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama, spring 1963

Left to right: NaCP attorneys George E. C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall and James Nabrit, Jr
NaCP ATTORNEYS, 1954. Left to right: NaCP attorneys George E.C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall and James Nabrit, Jr. celebrate their victory in the Brown vs

Integration Protest, Monroe, North Carolina. Photograph by Delcan Haun, August 1961
CIVIL RIGHTS, 1961. Integration Protest, Monroe, North Carolina. Photograph by Delcan Haun, August 1961

Washington, D.C. Wall at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial During Springtime

Washington, D.C. Closeup of Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial During Springtime

Marlon Brando arrives at Heathrow Airport in London, to take part in a television programme dealing with American race problem

History of Power
Manasseh Johnson Sr

Pinback button for the 1963 March on Washington, 1963. Creator: Unknown
The purpose of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. A white pin-back button with black text

Vietnam tour jacket with Black Power embroidery, 1971-1972. Creator: Saha Union Group
Black jacket probably worn by an African-American soldier during the Vietnam war. The back features discolored white embroidery

Pinback button which reads "Malcolm X Speaks For Me", 1960-1970
Malcolm X (1925-1965), was an African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist during the civil rights movement

Report card for Carlotta Walls from Little Rock Central High School, 1957 - 1958
Carlotta Walls LaNier was the youngest of the nine African-American students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in September 1957. In 1954 the U.S

Pinback button promoting Martin Luther King Day, 1982. Creator: Unknown
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, (sometimes referred to as MLK Day), is a national holiday in the United States marking the birthday of African-American civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr

Pinback button for a national holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr. mid-20th century
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, (sometimes referred to as MLK Day), is a national holiday in the United States honoring African-American civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr

Diploma for Carlotta Walls from Little Rock Central High School, July 8, 1960
Carlotta Walls LaNier was the youngest of the nine African-American students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in September 1957. In 1954 the U.S

Laundry pail associated with the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march, mid-20th century
Bucket used by African-American activists Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy on the Selma to Montgomery marches as part of the US civil rights movement

Pennant from the March on Washington carried by Edith Lee-Payne, 1963. Creator: Unknown
The purpose of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans

Wooden prayer beads owned by Suliaman El-Hadi, late 20th century. Creator: Unknown
African-American musician Suliaman El-Hadi was a member of The Last Poets, pioneering spoken-word musicians who came out of the late 1960s African-American civil rights movement

Straw sombrero hat associated with Civil Rights campaign, Camden, Alabama, 1971-1972
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination (and therefore segregation) based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin

First base used in Inaugural Civil Rights Game, 2006; used 2007. Creator: Unknown
Square first base marker used in the 2007 inaugural Major League Baseball Civil Rights game held at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tennessee

Outfit worn by Carlotta Walls to Little Rock Central High School, 1957. Creator: Unknown
Carlotta Walls LaNier was the youngest of the nine African-American students to desegregate Little Rock Central High School in September, 1957

Program from the March on Washington, August 28, 1963. Creator: Unknown
The purpose of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans

Bumper sticker with the slogan One Man, One Vote, 1962 - 1965. Creator: Unknown
A blue bumper sticker with green and white print. Vertical text down the left side reads: [SNCC]. Text moving from left to right along the sticker reads: [ONE MAN x ONE VOTE]

Red wool scarf worn by Joan Mulholland during a protest near the White House, 1960
This dark red wool scarf was worn by Joan Mulholland during a Howard University Nonviolent Action Group protest near the White House in 1960

Pinback button for CORE and Black Power, ca. 1966. Creator: Unknown
The Black Power movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, emphasised racial pride and the need to promote the collective interests and values of Black Americans

Pinback button for Channing Phillips presidential campaign, 1968. Creator: Unknown
A metal and plastic pinback button produced during the campaign of African-American minister, civil rights leader and social activist Channing E. Phillips (1928-1987)

James Leonard Farmer, Jr. American civil rights activist. Farmer speaking at a meeting of the American Society of
JAMES FARMER (1920-1999). James Leonard Farmer, Jr. American civil rights activist. Farmer speaking at a meeting of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Photographed by Marion Trikosko, 1964

SCHOOL DESEGREGATION, 1958. New York City Mayor Robert Wagner meeting the Little Rock Nine. In the front row from left to right are Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Carlotta Walls, Mayor Wagner

Martin L King Jr, L. Johnson and J. Abernathy

Martin Luther King JR

USA, Alabama, Selma. Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the beginning of the Selma March during the African-American Civil Rights struggle

USA, Alabama, Selma. National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, museum display

USA, Alabama, Montgomery. Rosa Parks Museum, commemorates the life of bus segregation protester and Montgomery resident Rosa Parks

USA, Alabama, Montgomery. Civil Rights Memorial and Center

American civil rights activist. Photograph, c1970
ELLA BAKER (1903-1986). American civil rights activist. Photograph, c1970

Alabama National Guardsmen and Highway Patrolmen turning over to their Mississippi counterparts the escort duty for a
FREEDOM RIDERS, 1961. Alabama National Guardsmen and Highway Patrolmen turning over to their Mississippi counterparts the escort duty for a freedom rider interstate bus, 1961

March in Washington, D. C. conducted by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), 22 September 1963
CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH, 1963. March in Washington, D.C. conducted by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), 22 September 1963

Participants in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 28 August 1963
MARCH ON WASHINGTON. 1963. Participants in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 28 August 1963, marching up Constitution Avenue to the Lincoln Memorial

(1943- ). African American student who was barred from attending Sumner School in Topeka in 1951
LINDA BROWN THOMPSON (1943- ). African American student who was barred from attending Sumner School in Topeka in 1951, and led to the Supreme Court case, Brown vs. the Board of Education

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The civil rights movement was a pivotal moment in American history, marked by both triumphs and tragedies. In the spring of 1963, during the Youth Mass Demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama, a powerful image emerged - a police dog viciously attacking a young black man. This haunting photograph served as a stark reminder of the brutality faced by African Americans striving for equality. However, amidst these struggles, there were moments of victory that fueled hope for change. On May 17th, 1954, attorneys George E. C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall, and James Nabrit Jr. , celebrated their landmark win in the Brown vs. Board of Education case at the Supreme Court in Washington D. C. This ruling declared segregation unconstitutional and laid the foundation for desegregation efforts across the nation. Throughout this turbulent era, protests became an essential tool to demand justice and integration. In August 1961, Monroe, North Carolina witnessed one such protest captured by photographer Delcan Haun - an image that encapsulated defiance against racial discrimination. The it also saw tragic incidents that ignited outrage within communities. The fatal shooting of Harlem resident James Powell by NYPD Lieutenant Gilligan in 1964 sparked riots throughout Harlem streets as protesters carried pictures of Lt. Gilligan to express their anger and frustration. Ida B. Wells Barnett played an influential role during this time as she fearlessly fought against lynching through her journalism and activism work around 1893 – her sepia-toned portrait serves as a testament to her unwavering dedication towards justice. Symbols like pinback buttons became powerful tools for mobilization and unity among activists during this period; from promoting marches on Washington to advocating for Malcolm X's message or celebrating Martin Luther King Day – these buttons conveyed solidarity with impactful messages. As America grappled with its own internal conflicts during the Vietnam War era (1971-1972), Black Power embroidery adorned jackets worn by soldiers, reflecting the intersection of civil rights and anti-war movements.