Timeline by Maya Joynt

June 11, 1963:Alabama governor George Wallace attempts to block students from registering at the U of Alabama

mayaj20 — 2025-03-07 20:00:30 UTC

Gov. George Wallace blocked the enrollment of two Black students to the University of Alabama. His acts of defiance would be short-lived as President John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard, instructing them to end Wallace's blockade of the school.

Dec 1955 : Montgomery Bus boycott begins

mayaj20 — 2025-03-07 20:00:57 UTC

Sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks on 1 December 1955, the Montgomery bus boycott was a 13-month mass protest that ended with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional.

February 1, 1960: first sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C

mayaj20 — 2025-03-07 20:01:07 UTC

On Feb. 1, 1960, four African-American North Carolina A&T University students, Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil, began a sit-in protest at a Woolworth's whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they had been refused service.

April 3 - May 10 1963: Police arrest Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

mayaj20 — 2025-03-07 20:01:18 UTC

One bullet killed the man but couldn't kill the dream. Today marks the 56th anniversary of the assassination of my Godfather, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., who was shot to death on April 4, 1968, as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee

August 28, 1963: Martin Luther King gives “I Have a Dream” Speech at the March on Washington

mayaj20 — 2025-03-07 20:01:29 UTC

On August 28, 1963, more than a quarter million people participated in the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, gathering near the Lincoln Memorial. More than 3,000 members of the press covered this historic march, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

July 2, 1964: President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964

mayaj20 — 2025-03-07 20:01:38 UTC

On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, marking a significant moment in American history by prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin in public accommodations, employment, and federally funded programs; this act was initially proposed by President John F. Kennedy before his assassination.

February 21, 1965: Civil Rights leader Malcolm X is murdered

mayaj20 — 2025-03-07 20:01:48 UTC

Malcolm X was just 39 years old and left behind his wife, Betty Shabazz, and six young daughters—including twins born after his death.

August 6, 1965: President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965

mayaj20 — 2025-03-07 20:02:03 UTC

On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law, effectively prohibiting discriminatory voting practices like literacy tests, which were primarily used to disenfranchise African American voters in the South; this landmark legislation allowed for federal oversight of elections in areas with a history of voter suppression, marking a significant step forward in the Civil Rights Movement.

April 4, 1968: Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated

mayaj20 — 2025-03-07 20:02:48 UTC

Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m at age 39.