Making a Mark in History : Civil Rights Movement of 1960

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Some people say leadership is taught, others say leadership is a character trait. The civil rights movement was a stand against diverse to have all races equal. There were many leaders during the civil rights movement, including; Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Most people recognize these names, but there are other leaders who need to be recognized as well like James Forman. A leader is someone willing to sacrifice anything and everything to accomplish their goal. James Forman was a leader that continued to grow during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s. On October 4, 1928 a leader was born in Chicago, James Forman. Forman experienced first taste of racial segregation at the age 6. Forman went to visit his aunt in Tennessee and tried to buy a coca cola at the corner drugstore. He was told that he needed to drink it in the back of the store and could not hang around the counter. Forman at such a young age did not understand what was happening and why he could drink his cola at the counter. The manager simply replied, “boy, you’re a nigger.” This is when Forman realized that the color of his skin made him different and because of that, there were things he could and couldn’t do and that white people could dictate what he could and couldn’t do. According to the King Institute Encyclopedia, “Forman spent his early childhood living with his grandmother on a farm in Marshall County, Mississippi. At the age of six, he returned to Chicago, where he attended a Roman Catholic grammar school. Forman graduated with honors from Englewood High School in 1947 and went on to serve in the Air Force before enrolling at the University of Southern California in 1952” (Carson 1). Having served in the Air Force he had learned discipline an... ... middle of paper ... ...te people to make a stand for equal rights. Forman was one of the key ingredients to winning the rights for all people. Rosa Parks may have been the first black woman to sit on the front of the bus, and Martin Luther King Jr. might be well known for his famous speech, but James Forman has certainly put his mark in history as well for his leadership roles in promoting civil rights. Works Cited Work Citied Carson. "Forman, James." Forman, James. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. Cohassey, John; Pendergast Sara, John Cohassey, "James Forman." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004, and "Forman, James." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 2008. "Forman, James." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2005. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. Holley, Joe. "Civil Rights Leader James Forman Dies." The Washington Post. Staff Writer, 11 Jan. 2005. Web.

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