It’s 2020, over 50 years after Martin had his dream, and the fight for civil rights is still very much ongoing. Back then, the face of civil rights was mostly black, male, and straight. History books still regularly overlook the black women who were at the center of both local and national efforts.
Let’s not make that same mistake again.
Black women like Michelle Alexander, Patrisse Cullors, and Johnetta Elzie are spearheading the 21st-century civil rights movement. They’re fighting not only for the rights of black people as a whole, but also for the rights of women, LGBTQ people, immigrants, prisoners, and other marginalized communities. Some activists are old enough to remember the original civil rights movement, while others are as young as 11 years old.