Famous Civil Rights Activists - List of Famous Civil Rights Activists - page 3

A civil rights activist is one who is actively or non-actively involved or participates in various rights of civil movements in a nation in order to facilitate equal opportunity to all the members in the society. A civil rights activist will campaign and work towards the protection and implementation of various civil rights like personal rights, entitlements, freedoms, civil liberties that a person is entitled to receive naturally by being a citizen of a particular nation. Some of the important civil rights include, right to equality, right to physical and mental integrity, protection from any kind of discrimination, rights to privacy among many other civil rights and liberties. A civil rights activist may be involved in various cases where there have been a breach of civil rights and , he /she may be involved in various kinds of campaigns, protests or demonstrations. Civil rights movement came into existence in the 1960’s, after the world witnessed a series of political movements. In 1966, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognized the concept of civil rights on a global level. Read on, for more information on the world’s famous civil rights activists, with their biographies that include trivia, interesting facts, timeline and life history.

The Most Famous Civil Rights Activists

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Muhammad AliJanuary 17, 1942AmericanMuhammad Ali was a legendary boxer who became the first and only three-time lineal World Heavyweight Champion
Ida B. WellsJuly 16, 1862AmericanIda Bell Wells-Barnett was an African-American journalist, suffragist and a civil rights activist
Ruby BridgesSeptember 8, 1954AmericanRuby Bridges is renowned for being the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school
Malcolm XMay 19, 1925AmericanMalcolm X was a renowned African-American Sunni Muslim civil rights activist
Lena HorneJune 30, 1917AmericanLena Horne was a famous American actress and civil rights activist and is remembered for her roles in ‘The Duke Is Tops’ and ‘Cabin in the Sky’
Stokely CarmichaelJune 29, 1941Trinidadian, AmericanStokely Carmichael was a Trinidadian-American leader of the ‘American Civil Rights Movement’, known for his radical theories
Thomas ClarksonMarch 28, 1760BritishThomas Clarkson was an English abolitionist and the main force in bringing about the Slave Trade Act
Edith CowanAugust 2, 1861AustralianEdith Dircksey Cowan (née Brown) was an Australian politician and social campaigner
Adam Clayton Powell Jr.November 29, 1908AmericanAdam Clayton Powell Junior was a well-known pastor, a civil rights activist and a renowned politician of the 20th century United States
Claudette ColvinSeptember 5, 1939AmericanClaudette Colvin is an African-American civil rights activist
Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr

AmericanJanuary 15, 1929126 views

Andrew Goodman

Andrew Goodman was an American civil rights activist, murdered at a young age by members of the Ku Klux Klan

AmericanNovember 23, 1943153 views

Stokely Carmichael

Stokely Carmichael was a Trinidadian-American leader of the ‘American Civil Rights Movement’, known for his radical theories

TrinidadianJune 29, 1941276 views

Barbara Jordan

Barbara Jordan was an American politician and leader of the Civil Rights Movement

AmericanFebruary 21, 1936151 views

Zack de la Rocha

Zack de la Rocha is one of the most admired and well-respected American musician and lyricist

AmericanJanuary 12, 1970168 views

Viola Desmond

Viola Desmond was a Canadian citizen of mixed race, who championed the cause of equal rights for people with dark skin, in early 20th century

CanadianJuly 6, 1914211 views

Lucy Stone

Lucy Stone was an American women’s rights activist

AmericanAugust 13, 1818136 views

Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk was America’s first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California

AmericanMay 22, 1930183 views

Anna Julia Cooper

Anna Julia Cooper was an American educator and writer who crusaded for the upliftment of African-American women

AmericanAugust 10, 1858160 views