Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 3 February 2005 — Page 25

JOHN JONES (1816-1879) John Jones occupies a unique and prominent position in the history of Chicago. Bom of free parents in North Carolina, he moved to Chicago in 1845. Successful in business, John Jones was persuaded to enter politics. He became the first of his race to be elected to Chicago’s Board of City Commissioners.

DAISY BATES (1920- ) Mrs. Daisy Bates, former President of the Arkansas NAACP, gained national attention when she and her husband fought and won the battle for the right of black American pupils to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. During this crisis, the President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was forced to use Federal troops to bring about the admission of eight students.

MEDGAR EVERS (1925-1963)

JAMES L. FARMER (1920-)

Working to encourage voter registration in Mississippi occupied much of Medgar Evers’ time. Returning home from a meeting late on the night of June 11, 1963, Evers arrived in his driveway. A shot rang out. Sweaters inscribed with the words “Jim Crow Must Go!” fell from his hands. Medgar Evers died before reaching the hospital.

As one of the founders of the Congress of Racial Equality, James L. Farmer played an active role in the Civil Rights movement. Favoring mass action as a means of ending segregation, he advocated sitin demonstrations and “Freedom Rides.” Because of his knowledge of urban affairs, James Farmer was appointed Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) in the Nixon Administration.

JAMES H. MEREDITH (1933-) James H. Meredith, the grandson of a slave, applied in 1961 for admission to the University of Mississippi. He was refused. Later he was escorted by Federal troops through a corridor of bricks, boos, and broken glass, as was finally enrolled. He received his degree in August of 1963. No incident marred the occasion. Other black Americans were later enrolled at the same university without difficulty. James H. Meredith has opened a door.

ROSA PARKS (1913-) Ordered to give her seat to a white passenger, Mrs. Rosa Parks refused. Upon her arrest, AfroAmericans in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to ride buses. The date was December 1, 1955. Before the bus boycott had ended, all passengers regardless of race were free to choose their own seats. Mrs. Park’s refusal marked the beginning of the non-violent movement that was soon to sweep the nation.

The Muncie Times • February 3, 2005 • Page 25 GEORGE T. DOWNING (1819-1903)

Influential and determined, George T. Downing fought the battle for Civil Rights on many fronts. One front was the area of job opportunities. His efforts took another direction when he fought for fair treatment of black troops in the Union Army. He won his greatest victory in the field of education. It was George Downing who was responsible for the elimination of segregated schools in Rhode Island.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, Jr. (1929-1968) It started first with the Montgomery bus boycott. Armed with this success and preaching love as the means of achieving equal rights, Martin Luther King’s name spread rapidly across the country. He became the symbol of the Civil Rights movement itself. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the youngest person ever to receive the award. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was struck down by an assassin’s bullet.

A. PHILIP RANDOLPH (1889-) Early in life A. Philip Randolph urged workers to fight for better working conditions. He was also interested in equal job opportunities for people of all races. During World War II he persuaded the government to issue an order forbidding any industry holding defense contracts to discriminate in hiring. Asa Philip Randolph is perhaps best known as the long-time leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.