Stokely Carmichael was one of the foremost Black Power activists of the 1960s. Carmichael was a member of the southern-based Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Eventually, he succeeded John Lewis in becoming chairman of the organization. During his time as… Read More

At the same time that many churches were maintaining segregated congregations, others were key players in the struggle for civil rights because they inspired people to respond to the nationwide call to arms against social injustices. In 1963 the National… Read More

In July 1967, Milwaukee experienced a civil disturbance, or what some have called a riot. Compared to other cities like Detroit, Newark, and Los Angeles, Milwaukee’s disturbance was nowhere near as violent or chaotic. In fact, the violence reached its… Read More

A civil rights activist is someone who is or has been actively involved in the struggle to attain the fair distribution of and access to the rights that all human beings deserve, regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, age,… Read More

Catholic and Protestant clergy members played significant roles in the Southern and Northern Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In Milwaukee, several Catholic clergy members were active in the local movement. The first civil rights demonstration that Milwaukee clergy publicly… Read More

After encountering hostile and violent counterdemonstrators during the Eagles Club protests, the NAACP Youth Council realized that police protection was insufficient. In October of 1966, the Youth Council unveiled its exclusively-male security unit known as the Commandos. The Commandos went… Read More

The Common Council is the legislative branch for the city government of Milwaukee, and the elected officials who serve on it are called aldermen and alderwomen. During the 1960s, the Milwaukee Common Council came under fire from civil rights activists… Read More

The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. CORE was a leading civil rights organization during the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, the interracial organization provided the Civil Rights Movement with its ideology of nonviolence… Read More

Milwaukee’s chapter of CORE (MCORE) was founded in 1963 by Cecil L. Brown, Jr. and John Givens, Jr. Brown was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1954 and his successful run for the assembly partially inspired Vel Phillips to… Read More

Counterdemonstrators are people who come to protest against demonstrations carried out by activists. They usually do this because they do not agree with the demands of activists and they do not want to see certain practices or conditions change. Counterdemonstrators… Read More