Untold Stories of the Social Justice Movement in America
November 29, 2021
In this inspiring history, civil rights activist Sharpton (Rise Up) spotlights “lesser-known rabble rousers” who have fought for racial justice in the U.S. Noting that Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington in 1963 “sidelined” women and LGBTQ people, Sharpton profiles activists including Ernestine Eckstein, whose experiences working with the NAACP influenced her activism for gay rights, and Pauli Murray, whose legal theories helped shape Thurgood Marshall’s winning arguments in Brown v. Board of Education and Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s in Reed v. Reed, the first Supreme Court ruling to hold that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment protects women’s rights. Elsewhere, Sharpton unearths the stories of Claudette Colvin, whose refusal to move to the back of a city bus in Montgomery, Ala., inspired Rosa Parks to do the same thing nine months later; Ramsey Orta, who filmed the police killing of Eric Garner in 2014; and George Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd, who “found a sense of purpose and meaning in life” through speaking out against police brutality. Throughout, Sharpton shares inspiring anecdotes from the front lines of protest marches and reflects on the courage of family members who have been thrust into activism by the tragic death of a loved one. This is a worthy testament to those whose commitment to the cause has flown under the radar.