Subtopic: The Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1980

Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights Scrapbook
These materials document the goals and activities of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights; from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Bayard Rustin
This transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize documents the leadership strategies of March on Washington organizer Bayard Rustin.

Bayard Rustin: A Freedom Budget, Part 2
This audio excerpt from Bayard Rustin's 1967 "Freedom Budget" speech outlines a nine-year plan to end poverty in America.

Burke Marshall
Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall, in this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, remembers mediating the 1962 desegregation of the University of Mississippi.

Campaigns for Economic Freedom
This lesson plan explores the economic impact of racial discrimination and campaigns for jobs and justice.

A Class Divided 1: The Daring Lesson
This segment from FRONTLINE: "A Class Divided" profiles an experiment in discrimination based on eye color that took place in a third-grade class in 1970.

A Class Divided 3: An Interview with Jane Elliott
In this Web-exclusive interview for FRONTLINE, Jane Elliott discusses her abiding sense that her lesson on bigotry is as necessary today as it was in 1968.

Concerned White Citizens of Alabama Scrapbook
These materials document the philosophy and activities of the Concerned White Citizens of Alabama, who fought for racial equality and voting rights for African Americans; from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Desegregation in San Francisco
This audio excerpt from National Public Radio's All Things Considered examines policies designed to achieve racial diversity in San Francisco's schools and their impact on Chinese Americans.

Diane Nash and the Sit-Ins
Diane Nash was a college student when she started leading sit-in demonstrations to protest discrimination. In this interview, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, Nash describes her role in the Civil Rights movement.

Eileen Kelley Walbert
Eileen Walbert was among the Concerned White Citizens of Alabama who took a stand for civil rights, as she describes in this oral history from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Excerpts from the March on Washington, Part 1
This audio compilation, recorded live at the 1963 March on Washington, captures the voices of several civil rights leaders.

Excerpts from the March on Washington, Part 3
Recorded live at the 1963 March on Washington, this audio segment captures the voice of SNCC leader John Lewis.

Hyde County School Boycott
This slide show tells the story of a yearlong boycott to protest the closing of historically black schools in Hyde County, North Carolina.

James Farmer and the Freedom Rides
In this video interview, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, Freedom Ride organizer James Farmer describes the interracial bus rides through the South that tested desegregation and sparked white resistance.

Joe Dickson
In this oral history from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Joe Dickson recalls student activism at Miles College.

Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael)
In this transcript of an interview recorded for Eyes on the Prize, Stokely Carmichael describes SNCC organizing campaigns and his views on "Black Power."

Lola Hendricks
In this oral history from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Lola Hendricks describes her work behind the scenes to advance the Civil Rights movement.

Malcolm X: Regarding Whiteness
In this interview, taken from archival news footage, civil rights leader Malcolm X describes the impact of his 1964 pilgrimage to Mecca on his racial views.

Melba Pattillo Beals
Melba Patillo Beals was one of nine black students who desegregated Little Rock's Central High School in 1957. In this interview, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, Beals describes her tumultuous experience.

Movement Music Medley
This collection of songs and images highlights the role of music in the Civil Rights movement.

Rev. Frank Dukes: Selective Buying Campaign
In this oral history from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Frank Dukes describes his role in the 1962 boycott of discriminatory stores and businesses.

Robert Moses
In this video segment, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, activist Robert Moses talks about the Mississippi voting rights campaign.

Rosa Parks
In this interview, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, legendary civil rights activist Rosa Parks recalls her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Segregation Ordinances: Birmingham, AL
This document from 1951 spells out Birmingham's segregation ordinances, the laws requiring the separation of the races.

Sheyann Webb
Sheyann Webb was eight years old in 1965 when she marched for voting rights. In this interview, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, she recalls the events of the Selma march.

Sonia Sanchez: Meeting Malcolm X
In this video segment, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, poet Sonia Sanchez recalls the pivotal moment when she first heard civil rights leader Malcolm X speak.

Understanding White Supremacy
This lesson plan explores how white southerners tried to protect their economic, political, and social privilege in the face of the Civil Rights movement.

Voter Registration Training Tool
Students at Miles College in Birmingham developed this "crib sheet" and questionnaire to help black citizens become registered voters and to document racial discrimination in the voting process in the 1950s.

Washington Booker, III
In this oral history from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Washington Booker recalls being arrested and jailed for participating in the Children's Crusade of 1963.

William Julius Wilson
In this 1998 FRONTLINE interview, Harvard sociologist Dr. William Julius Wilson explains why, despite an overall increase in the standard of living among African Americans, a segment of the population is falling farther and farther behind.