The Civil Rights Movement: Notable Figures

This gripping nonfiction account follows the rise of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the events leading to his assassination by James Earl Ray. Drawing on photographs, primary sources, and detailed research, Swanson explores both King’s leadership in the civil rights movement and the manhunt for his killer. Includes an introduction by Congressman John Lewis.

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize–winning bestseller, this biography offers a fresh, in-depth look at Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy. Drawing on new research and recently declassified FBI files, the book presents King as a complex and passionate leader—preacher, activist, father, and radical thinker. This edition brings the story to a new generation, connecting King’s fight for racial and economic justice to ongoing struggles today.

This seminal work by Baldwin is a powerful exploration of race relations in America and includes essays that reflect his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Baldwin's eloquent and critical analysis provides deep insights into the struggles for racial equality during the 1960s.

African-American women played a major role in bringing about social change during the civil rights movement. They participated in sit-ins and marches. They helped plan demonstrations and boycotts. And they were arrested for civil disobedience. Many women worked behind the scene, helping to organize protest efforts. Some women took on leadership roles. One was NAACP activist Rosa Parks, who is best known for inspiring the Montgomery bus boycott. She worked alongside Ella Baker, who later helped organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). SNCC founding member Diane Nash directed sit-ins and Freedom Rides. Fannie Lou Hamer took on the political machine of Mississippi in a demand for black voter representation. These women and many others of the civil rights movement helped ensure that the United States government guaranteed equal rights for all Americans, black and white.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, named one of Time's ten most important nonfiction books of the 20th century, provides a compelling account of Malcolm X’s life and the Black Muslim movement. This updated edition, completed with the help of Alex Haley, offers new insights into Malcolm X's critique of the American Dream and his fight against racial injustice.

This rhetorical biography explores how Fannie Lou Hamer used powerful symbols—words, images, and everyday objects—to influence audiences and drive social change. Drawing on newly uncovered speeches and interviews, the book traces Hamer’s life from her early activism to her legacy in civil rights, anti-poverty work, and feminist politics.

In her 1992 autobiography, Rosa Parks: My Story, Rosa Parks recounts her pivotal role in the Civil Rights movement, including her famous act of defiance by refusing to give up her bus seat in 1955. She reflects on her life journey, the struggles and triumphs of the movement, and the enduring fight for justice and equality.

This biography offers an intimate portrait of civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis, tracing his journey from a young activist in Selma to a national symbol of nonviolent resistance and moral courage. Drawing on extensive interviews, Meacham explores how Lewis’s faith, commitment to justice, and belief in hope shaped his lifelong fight for equality.

This biography traces Thurgood Marshall’s journey from his youth in Baltimore to becoming the first African American Supreme Court justice. It highlights his work with the NAACP to end segregation, his legal victories for civil rights, and his belief in using the law to fight injustice and protect all citizens' rights.