Author: Rev. Dr. John F Baggett “Martin has known from the beginning that the movement could cost him his life…” Over the years I have recalled many times these prophetic words spoken to me with serene dignity in private conversation, by Coretta Scott King, wife of Dr. Martin Luther King. … Continue reading
Martin Duberman, author of “Stonewall,” remembers the event that catalyzed the modern gay rights movement. The Stonewall Riots on June 28, 1969 were a response to a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, the hub of New York City’s gay night scene. According to Duberman, “for some mysterious reason,” the … Continue reading
People involved in both the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and the first ever gay pride march in 1970 explain the importance of the march. They explain that the demonstration, beginning on Christopher Street in New York City, helped to commemorate the riots and spark more political action in the gay … Continue reading
Arthur Evans, co-founder of the Gay Activist Alliance, explains how the gay rights movement began in 1970, the year that the first gay pride parade occurred. Evans talks about the first gay rights group, known as the Gay Liberation Front, as well as the rebellions that were sparked from the … Continue reading
People involved with the Stonewall Riots in June of 1969, including author David Carter, who wrote a book on the riots, explains the history-changing events of that night. Martin Boyce and Jerry Hoose give their firsthand accounts of how the events escalated with the police. They also explain the importance … Continue reading
Two current Houstonians describe the changes the city of Houston went through after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2. Gene Locke, now a prominent lawyer in this city, explains that Houston would not be able to compete … Continue reading
Stephen Carter, former clerk of Justice Thurgood Marshall in 1980, shares a story on how Marshall would never say a negative thing about someone, including the segregationists that he effectively dedicated his legal career opposing. Carter describes a time when one particular segregationist lawyer’s name came up and instead of … Continue reading
The late Kentucky Governor Edward Breathitt, who served from 1963 to 1967, was a vital ally of President Lyndon B. Johnson and of the civil rights movement. Breathitt’s work with the Southern Governors Conference helped to pass the national 1964 Civil Rights Act. However, also in 1964, he was unable … Continue reading
Wu Dingfu and Song Xiuling lament the death of their son, Wu Guofeng, a 20-year-old Chinese student who was among the first victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. On June 4, 1989, Wu Guofeng set out to document the student-led protests in Beijing with his camera, but instead was shot … Continue reading
https:// Author and poet Maya Angelou discusses her work with Martin Luther King, Jr. She recalls where she was when she found out King had been assassinated–on the same day as her birthday: “Life stopped for me…”
