We have a lot of history in our country, some good and some bad. We have learned so much about the many people that fought for our right to be equal. So, in honor of Black History Month I would like to share my favorite underrated civil rights leaders. Â
Everyone knows about the civil rights movement. It is a big part of our long history. There were many leaders in that movement. Some famous leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall — just to name a few. Everyone learns about these activists all the time, but what about the other activists that also played a big role in the civil rights movement.
The first activist that is my all time favorite is Malcom X. He may not be that underrated, but he is not talked about as much as the others. Malcolm X was a civil rights activist and a supporter of the black nationalism. He believed in fighting back against the white brutality. Malcom X said “by any means necessary.” People mostly didn’t like the fact that he went against the nonviolence movement. Â
The next underrated activist that I like is Claudette Colvin. She is often overlooked as an activist. Claudette was actually the first to sit in the front of the bus and not get up for a white passenger. She did this before Rosa Parks; however, she wasn’t recognized for it because she didn’t have the right image to represent the movement. At the time she was pregnant and did not have fair skin.Â
The last civil rights activist I want to share with you is actually an organization called the Black Panther Party. The Black Panther Party was used to protect and defend the black communities from police and white brutality. The Black Panther Party had many chapters in major cities. They helped many people in the community. They even helped people who didn’t have resources during that time.Â
There are so many more activists that did so many good things. These are my top underrated activists, and I wanted to show you there are more people than the ones you see in your textbooks. So, for Black History Month, I encourage you to research more about the civil rights movement and the different underrated activists.