By definition, activists are people that strive to bring about social or political change. What activists do you know? How did they contribute to a cause? Is their work still remembered today? Imagine dedicating and risking your life towards a cause, yet not receiving global recognition for your work. There are a select few of Black activists who will always be remembered and appreciated, but not all.
Now that Black History Month is here, the time to celebrate and appreciate the people that risked their lives for equality for African Americans has come. When the term “Black activists” comes to mind, who do you think about? The likely answers would probably be Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcolm X, but there are countless more activists that contributed to bringing justice to African Americans that aren’t well known. This article will highlight the contributions of other significant people: Diane Nash, Daisy Gatson Bates, and finally, Paul Robeson.
Diane Nash. Born 1938 in Chicago, Illinois to a middle class family. Diane Nash was a crucial component to desegregation of lunch counters and buses. While attending Fisk University in Nashville, Nash was one of the original members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee(SNCC). From there, Nash went through a series of sit-ins at counters, which led her to having multiple arrests and serving jail time. Nevertheless, Nash eventually took her business to the mayor of Nashville, Ben West. Her efforts paid off in 1960 when lunch counters in Nashville were desegregated–the first city in the South to do so. Additionally, Nash helped organize the Freedom Rides(bus rides where black and white people rode in solidarity to desegregate buses), it was Nash who insisted that the Freedom Rides continue, even after the Klu Klux Klan bombed one of the bus rides in 1961. The efforts of Nash and the Freedom Riders were effective, and in 1961, buses were desegregated. Without the brilliance of Diane Nash behind the scenes, change would have taken a lot longer. As Martin Luther King Jr once said, Nash was the “driving spirit in the nonviolent assault on segregation at lunch counters.”
Born in Huttig, Arkansas in 1914, Daisy Gatson Bates was sent to a foster home after her mother was sexually assaulted and killed by three white men. As an adult, she became a true advocate for equality in education. She started The Arkansas Weekly with her husband which was the only newspaper dedicated solely to the Civil Rights Movement. Bates later became the president of the Arkansas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP). Ever heard of the Little Rock Nine? Well, that’s the group of the first nine Black students who entered Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. After the desegregation of schools in 1954, Bates was asked to organize the strategy. Bates handpicked nine black students to attend Central High. She not only made sure they were kept safe, but even joined the parents association to make sure they were receiving the same treatment as their white counterparts. After her success in Little Rock, Bates continued to fight for equal rights, which led her to gain national recognition for her work. In 1962, she published her own book The Long Shadow of Little Rock, which spoke about her experiences in her field. The book would go on to win the American Book Award in 1988. Bates was a soul that touched many. She focused her talents and time on improving the education system for African Americans, and she did it with complete courage and faith.
Paul Robeson was a multi talented leader with gifts in every field: from acting to sports, Robeson was a prominent figure in the 1920s and 30s culture. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Robeson was the third black student to attend Rutgers University in New Jersey. Despite his natural talent in football(he was an All-American athlete), Robeson went to Colombia to study law. After realizing that there was a lack of opportunities in law for the Black community, he turned to the theater. From starring as Joe in the play Show Boat, Robeson’s theme song “Ol’ Man River’ grew in popularity. The song would go on to become an anthem against racism and oppression. At a concert in London to support the anti- fascist republican party during the Spanish Civil War, Robeson changed the lyrics from
“I get weary an’ sick of tryin’ / I’m tired of livin’ and scared of dyin’ ” to “But I keep laughin’ instead of cryin’ / I must keep fightin’ until I’m dying.”
Robeson would also become the first Black man to play Othello on Broadway. Using his platform, Robeson protested against lyching and racial segregation for African Americans.
In 1949, Robeson gave a speech in Paris, in which he highlighted the injustice that Black people were still facing in America and demanded change. He also stated that war with the Soviets was not inevitable and could be avoided. Unfortunately, he was misquoted and accused for stating that Black people would refuse to fight for their country. While his reputation was being ruined, Robeson responded with, “I am not being tried for whether I am a communist. I am being tried for fighting for the rights of my people, who are still second-class citizens in these United States of America.” Robeson was a character who stood for his beliefs, no matter who was watching. He was a prime example of someone who used his platform to speak for the voiceless of the world.
These three trailblazers all contributed largely to the modern world. Without the desegregation of lunch counters and buses, the ability for black and white communities to attend the same school, or the support from prominent figures like Paul Robeson, who helped to show support to minorities, what would equality look like today? It’s important that as a society, we recognize and appreciate the people that helped shape our world today.
