Amelia Platts Boynton Robinson (born August 18, 1911) is an American woman who was a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama and a key figure in the 1965 march that became known as Bloody Sunday.
The first African-American woman Democratic candidate from Alabama to run for a seat in Congress. She is also helped to plan and lead the 1965 March in Selma. It was Boynton who helped bring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Alabama for the march from Selma to Montgomery by convincing him that Selma was an ideal battleground for a protest to secure voting rights for African-Americans. They planned the march in her home.
On March 7, 1965, when approximately 600 Black protesters attempted to march across Edmund Pettus Bridge and were blocked and attacked, Boynton was beaten unconscious. The photograph of her helpless body was one of many that highlighted the violent acts that resulted in that day being known as, “Bloody Sunday.” Despite her injuries, Boynton participated in the next two marches, the second march, led by Dr. King to showcase the people’s resilience and commitment and the third march in which protesters finally made it to Montgomery’s capitol.
At 103, Boynton recently attended President Obama’s 2015 State Of The Union Address and is still one of the nation’s best-known living civil rights leaders.
The Selma-to-Montgomery March was a series of 3-marches and events that shifted the civil rights movement of the 1960s. On March 7, 1965, approximately 600 activists set out to march to protest their right to vote, however they were stopped on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, after traveling just six blocks. There, while the nation was watching, they were beat and attacked by police officers and locals; forcing them back into Selma and making it what we now know as “Bloody Sunday.” Two days later, Martin Luther King, Jr., led a symbolic march of approximately 2,500 people to that same bridge to show both their resilience and commitment. After this symbolic stance, civil rights leaders petitioned the court for protection in order to complete all full march from Selma to Montgomery. The Judge, Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., sided with King and the demonstrators stating that “the law is clear that the right to petition one’s government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups, and these rights may be exercised by marching, even along public highway.” With the court’s protection and the nation watching, on March 21, 1965, approximately 3,200 marchers of all hues set out for Montgomery. It took 4-days, but by the time they reached the capitol on Thursday, March 25, they had grown to approximately 25,000-strong. Less than five months later, with Dr. King and other civil rights leaders by his side, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Black History Should Be in the Curricula from Kindergarten to College
“Expand Black History – One Month Can Not Cover Centuries of Contributions of a Race of People”
Kansas City, MO, February 18, 2015 – Black History should be a part of the course of study, in all subjects, from kindergarten to college throughout the school year. It is 2015. America should be beyond setting aside a month to acknowledge the contributions of an entire race of people.
Join the movement today to expand the focus of black history beyond the month of February, where the same familiar names and faces are the focus of a community forum here, a program there, a classroom exhibit, or the subject of a couple of lesson plans.
It took over 50 years to expand the first “Negro History Week,” which occurred in 1926, to “Black History Month” in 1976. Will it take another 50 years to reach another historical milestone when black history is integrated into American history?
The expansion of the recognition of black history from a week to a month was officially recognized by the U.S. government during the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976. Then President Gerald Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
February became the chosen month because of the birth dates of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14), both of whom played pivotal roles in the abolition of slavery, and both celebrated together by black communities since the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation in the late 19th Century.
Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month, has fulfilled a great purpose since its designation in 1976, which came about as an expansion of “Negro History Week” that had been created some fifty years earlier in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson.
What a great national celebration it would be when Black History Month in February is no longer needed. Instead, it becomes a time within families and communities to reinforce the rich heritage and accomplishments of a race of people.
The time is NOW. Become a part of the movement to have the roles and contributions of blacks to be incorporated in the standard required curricula in all subject areas from A to Z, beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through high school in every school district across America.
Let “Black History Month 2015” become known for the change it inspired in all of us – to expand black history into the standard curricula in schools all across America.
Go to http://ExpandBlackHistory.com and become a part of this historic movement.
Expand Black History – http://ExpandBlackHistory.com
Contact: Dr. Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D. at janice@janicesellis.com or (816) 931-2200
It is 2015. We should be beyond setting aside a month to acknowledge the contributions of black Americans. Black Americans should be a part of the course of study, in all subjects, from kindergarten to college throughout the school year.
Let us begin a movement today to expand the focus of black history beyond the month of February, where the same familiar names and faces are the focus of a community forum here, a program there, a classroom exhibit, or the subject of a couple of lesson plans.
Why not have the contributions of black Americans included in the standard curricula from grade school through high school, in subjects from Art to Zoology (A to Z), learning about and recognizing the role blacks have played throughout the advancement of humanity.
It took over 50 years to expand the first “Negro History Week,” which occurred in 1926, to “Black History Month” in 1976. Will it take another 50 years to reach another historical milestone when black history is integrated into American history?
The expansion of the recognition of black history from a week to a month was officially recognized by the U.S. government during the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976. As we celebrated two hundred years of American History, then President Gerald Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
February became the chosen month because of the birth dates of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14), both of whom played pivotal roles in the abolition of slavery, and both celebrated together by black communities since the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation in the late 19th Century.
Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month, has fulfilled a great purpose since its designation in 1976, which came about as an expansion of “Negro History Week” that had been created some fifty years earlier in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson.
These efforts at setting the record straight are to be commended and can be continued within families and communities as a time of special emphasis and commemoration. But such commemorations, within themselves, are not enough.
What a great national celebration that would be when we are able to see that Black History Month in February is no longer needed! Instead, it becomes a good time within families and communities to reinforce the rich heritage and accomplishments of a race of people.
The time is NOW. Become a part of the movement to have the roles and contributions of blacks to be incorporated in the standard required curricula in all subject areas from A to Z, beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through high school in every school district across America. Together, we can do it!
JOIN THE HISTORIC MOVEMENT — TO EXPAND BLACK HISTORY INTO THE STANDARD SCHOOL CURRICULA IN SCHOOLS ALL ACROSS AMERICA.
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