The civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s was a struggle against racist policies that prevented People of Color from receiving equal opportunities as White people. However, the battle didn’t stop when the Civil Rights Act was passed. Marginalized groups like POCs and the LGBTQIA+ community continue to fight for basic human rights even today. Beginning in the 50s and spanning decades, leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, Harvey Milk, and Marsha P. Johnson paved the way for civil rights movements nationwide. Now the torch has been passed to a new generation of civil rights leaders. These leaders are carrying on the legacy of their predecessors. Read on to learn about the three most influential civil rights leaders paving the way in today’s world.
Civil Rights Leader: Melanie Campbell
Civil rights leader Melanie Campbell is the CEO of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation and has worked to expand youth and women’s rights for decades. Campbell is recognized as one of the hardest working leaders in civil rights, woman’s rights, and the overall social justice movement. She is dedicated to mentoring and providing leadership opportunities for the next generation of leaders. Campbell has helped create a youth-focused leadership development program, Black Youth Vote! She also played a key role in the 2012 election when the 66.2% of eligible black voters who participated in the election surpassed the White, Hispanic, and Asian voting rates for the first time in history.
Civil Rights Leader: Kimberlé Crenshaw
Kimberlé Crenshaw is a pioneering scholar and writer on civil rights, critical race theory, Black feminist legal theory, and the law. She is a professor of law at UCLA and Columbia Law School. Her works bring awareness to multiple issues including the importance of intersectionality in civil rights activism. Crenshaw’s work has been foundational in critical race theory and in intersectionality, a term she coined herself. Her work on intersectionality was so influential that it led to the drafting of the equality clause in the South African Constitution. Her studies, writing, and activism have all identified key issues in the perpetuation of inequality. She is also the co-author of Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced, and Unprotected. Crenshaw’s work has been instrumental for the civil rights movement for POCs, the LGBTQIA+ community, and women in today’s world.
Civil Rights Leader: Ciara Taylor
Ciara Taylor is an emerging civil rights leader taking a stand against police violence and overpolicing of POC communities. She is an educator, organizer, and artist. Ms. Taylor is committed to nurturing a community rooted in working class values of justice, love, and dignity. Taylor became an activist after the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, an African American teenager killed during an altercation with a police officer. She is now the political director of Dream Defenders, a Florida based group which grew to be a community organizing collective that fights for social justice.
McCune Law Group Fights Against Inequality
McCune Law Group stands against social and economic injustices, especially when they are perpetuated by the existing systems in place in government, corporate, and educational institutions. Our team believes that no one should be denied rights based off the color of their skin, their gender, or their sexual orientation. The Racial & Economic Justice attorneys of MLG take action as the voice for those who have been silenced.
To speak with one of our Racial and Economic Justice attorneys, contact us today for a free consultation!