James Forman

578 Words2 Pages

James Forman

Last Wednesday the civil rights movement lost one of its most influential members to colon cancer. James Forman died January 10th he is survived by his son Chaka Esmond Fanon Forman. James was born on Oct. 5, 1928, he spent the early years on a farm in Marshall County, Mississippi, with his grandmother. The at the age of six his parents moved him to Chicago. In 1957 James graduated from Englewood High School, after high school he entered the Air Force and fought in the Korean War. After the war Forman transferred to Roosevelt University in Chicago after his second college semester at the University of California. He also became very active in student politics on campus before his graduation in 1957. Forman went on to graduate studies at Boston University, then returned to Chicago. After college James went on to work at the Chicago Defender were he reported the injustices done to black people in the deep south.
In 1960 he learned of black farmers being evicted off their land by white landowners because they registered to vote. James left Chicago to join a program sponsored by the Congress for Racial Equality that provided help to the displaced farmers. In 1961 he joined The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, SNCC. One week after joining SNCC James was elected to its executive secretary after just one week with the organization. James did a great job at SNCC he was an excellent critical thinker as well as strategist that is why Julian Bond, chairman of the board of directors of the NAACP, said "that Forman the catalyst that turned SNCC into a fighting, militant organization." (Pride) Forman was just influential as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. In 1963 Forman was the principal for the 1963 March on Washington and the Freedom Rides in which Blacks rode across the South to make sure buses were integrated as ordered by the courts. James also became one of the first major blacks leaders to demand reparations for slavery. He demanded 500 million dollars from white churches all across America for their involvement in the Atlantic Slave Trade. Even later in his life James was still active in the civil rights community. In 1982 and lobbying against the appointment of Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork and the presidential campaign of former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. He also traveled to Europe and Africa on behalf of the Black Panther Party and also planned a new march on Washington in 1982.

Show More
Related

  • Manifest Destiny and the Genocide of the Native American Indian

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 1830’s America was highly influenced by the Manifest Destiny Ideal. Manifest Destiny was the motivating force behind the rapid expansion of America into the West. This ideal was highly sponsored by posters, newspapers, and various other methods of communication. Propaganda was and is still an incredibly common way to spread an idea to the masses. Though Manifest Destiny was not an official government policy, it led to the passing of the Homestead Act. The Homestead Act gave applicants freehold titles of undeveloped land outside of the original thirteen colonies. It encouraged Westward colonization and territorial acquisition. The Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. To America, Manifest Destiny was the idea that America was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic, to the Pacific Ocean. Throughout this time Native Americans were seen as obstacles because they occupied land that the United States needed to conquer to continue with their Manifest Destiny Ideal. Many wars were fought between the A...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Booker T Washington's Up From Slavery And The Souls Of Black Folk.

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    We can see that African Americans were still struggling for equality even after the emancipation and the abolishment of slavery. They still did not get the equal rights and opportunities compared to whites. This had been reflected in the first essay in Du Bois’s book with a title Of Our Spiritual Strivings that indicates blacks were denied the opportunity that were available to the whites even after emancipation. During the days of Jim Crow, people of color received unfair treatment from almost all aspects of their lives. At that time, not all people were brave enough to express and speak up their desire for transformation. Two most influential black leaders that were known to have the courage to speak up their beliefs in social equality were

    Read More

  • Demise of the Second Reconstruction

    2219 Words  | 5 Pages

    This political shift materialized with the advent of the Southern Strategy, in which Democratic president Lyndon Johnson’s support of Civil Rights harmed his political power in the South, Nixon and the Republican Party picked up on these formerly blue states and promoted conservative politics in order to gain a larger voter representation. Nixon was elected in a year drenched in social and political unrest as race riots occurred in 118 U.S. cities in the aftermath of Martin Luther King’s murder, as well as overall American bitterness due to the assassination of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and the extensive student-led activist opposition to the Vietnam War. The late 1960’s also saw the advent of several movements promoting Black Nationalism to unify the African-American community through the efforts of Black Power, most notably the formation of the Black Panthers in 1967 who were dedicated to overseeing the protection of African-Americans against police brutality and the support of disadvantaged street children through their Free Breakfast for Children program. During this time, black power was politically reflected through the electorate as the 1960-70’s saw a rise in Black elected officials. In 1969 there were a total of 994 black men and 131 black women in office in the country, this figure more than tripled by 1975 when there were 2969 black men and 530 black women acting in office; more than half of these elected officials were acting in Southern States....

    Read More

  • Philosophy - Impact of the Leviathan in Hobbes's Leviathan and the Book of Job of the Holy Bible

    1474 Words  | 3 Pages

    By using the Leviathan as a metaphor for the commonwealth, Hobbes emphasizes one of the most beneficial, though potentially oppressive, attributes of the body politic: its immense strength. According to Hobbes, the political community will function as a unified whole when the power is concentrated in the sovereign, making him the seat of incredible strength: "The greatest of human powers is that which is compounded of the powers of most men, united by consent in one person, natural or civil, that has the use of all their powers depending on his will, such as is the power of the com...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Price Of The Ticket

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    James Baldwin is described in the film James Baldwin – The Price of the Ticket as a man who resisted having to deal with the racism of the United States, but eventually found that he had to come back into the country to help defend the cause of civil rights. Baldwin was an American writer who was born in 1924 and died in 1987. He wrote a wide variety of different types of books, examining human experience and the way in which love was a part of that experience. However, he was also very active in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He was a voice that helped to bring about understanding, even if sometimes it was by slapping White America in the face. His message

    Read More

  • SNCC

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Lewis was an influential SNCC leader and is recognized by most as one of the important leaders of the civil rights movement as a whole. In 1961, Lewis joined SNCC in the Freedom Rides. Riders traveled the South challenging segregation at interstate bus terminals. In 1963, when Chuck McDew stepped down as SNCC chairman, Lewis was quickly elected to take over. Lewis' experience at that point was already widely respected--he had been arrested 24 times as a result of his activism. In 1963, Lewis helped plan and took part in the March on Washington. At the age of 23, he was a keynote speaker at the historic event. He stepped down from his position in 1966. Stokeley Carmichael, a fellow Freedom Rider, was elected chairman of SNCC and soon after raised the cry of "black power." Some were alarmed by the concept of black power and many were critical of Carmichael's new approach.

    Read More

  • Native American Relations with The United States

    4013 Words  | 9 Pages

    One of the critical tasks that faced the new nation of the United States was establishing a healthy relationship with the Native Americans (Indians). “The most serious obstacle to peaceful relations between the United States and the Indians was the steady encroachment of white settlers on the Indian lands. The Continental Congress, following [George] Washington’s suggestion, issued a proclamation prohibiting unauthorized settlement or purchase of Indian land.” (Prucha, 3) Many of the Indian tribes had entered into treaties with the French and British and still posed a military threat to the new nation.

    Read More

  • Success and Failure of the Civil Rights Movement

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    Success was a big part of the Civil Rights Movement. Starting with the year 1954, there were some major victories in favor of African Americans. In 1954, the landmark trial Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas ruled that segregation in public education was unfair. This unanimous Supreme Court decision overturned the prior Plessy vs. Ferguson case during which the “separate but equal” doctrine was created and abused. One year later, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. launched a bus boycott in Montgomery Alabama after Ms. Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat in the “colored section”. This boycott, which lasted more than a year, led to the desegregation of buses in 1956. Group efforts greatly contributed to the success of the movement. This is not only shown by the successful nature of the bus boycott, but it is shown through the success of Martin Luther King’s SCLC or Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The conference was notable for peacefully protesting, nonviolence, and civil disobedience. Thanks to the SCLC, sit-ins and boycotts became popular during this time, adding to the movement’s accomplishments. The effective nature of the sit-in was shown during 1960 when a group of four black college students sat down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in hopes of being served. While they were not served the first time they commenced their sit-in, they were not forced to leave the establishment; their lack of response to the heckling...

    Read More

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

    781 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the early 1960s, segregation and racism was still a common and influential issue. The ensuing conflict between the whites and the blacks led to violence, hate, and anger within the community. It was very difficult for either side to understand each other’s opinions and views; as the whites seemed to provide irrational and hateful views, while the blacks responded with peace (most-part) and presented a more rational and empathetic view. Martin Luther King Jr. was a staple in the Civil Rights movement, where he organized many protests, boycotts, and masses, to help increase the morale of the African American community. In 1963, during his time spent in Birmingham Jail, he wrote a letter in response to criticizers. In order to help persuade

    Read More

  • Essay On Manifest Destiny

    519 Words  | 2 Pages

    All though the Manifest Destiny has caused many good and valuable contributions to the United States, it has also come with a price. The opposing side thinks that this has taken land from the Indians, caused trouble with the Mexican and Indian removal, and it is unconstitutional, which means that it is not in a matter of a political constitution. Americans accomplished expansion through the conquest and massacre of over powering numbers of native people and the following political and relating domination of their remaining communities. There may be an opposing side to the Manifest destiny but it also comes with many positive actions as well. Let's get...

    Read More

  • The Manifest Destiny Movement

    161 Words  | 1 Pages

    Manifest Destiny was a continuous development beginning in the early 1840s. Manifest Destiny was the act of expanding the United States westward. Many people and presidents have promoted this movement. The very first president from the trans-Appalachian West, Andrew Jackson, won the presidency in 1828. Mr. Jackson founded the Democratic Party, which was formed in the 1820s. He served as a major-general in the War of 1812. He commanded the U.S Forces in a long five-month movement against the Creek Indians. Andrew’s focus as president was to expand the United States. He forced Indians to move west of the Mississippi River, which later was known as the Trail of Tears. Today it remains one of the most compelling and controversial events

    Read More

  • James Eugene Carrey

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Jim was 14 and his father lost his job, he learned that "life offers

    Read More

  • Effects Of Racial Discrimination In The 1960's

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    Though it took a lot of time and hardship, segregation between the Whites and the Blacks were slowly but surely coming to an end. Dr. Martin Luther King, President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy, whom was Attorney General during the civil rights movement, and many influential figures, contributed their approval for this movement. They also instilled sense of confidence and security to the African Americans and civil rights activists. The 1960’s were a time when the African Americans and others have had enough of racism. These groups decided to fight for the Black people to have their civil rights set into motion rather than being suppressed. People were joining together to create a...

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every character in any work of literature has a goal or purpose, whether it be heroically saving a princess from certain death, protecting a reputation, or even something as broad as antagonizing another character. Of course, all of these aspirations, as with any, require a certain degree of ambition and confidence. In the play Tamburlaine by Christopher Marlowe, we discover the somewhat far-fetched intentions of Tamburlaine and just how far he will push the cultural limits to reach his objective of becoming a King, and we as the audience are ultimately left to decide whether or not he is too ambitious or too confident for his own good.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Being A Participative Leader

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    Are you a transactional leader? Transactional leaders are more of give and take leader. Transactional leaders teach team members a task and then review their performance of the task, then either coach or reward the team member based upon results. There is kind of no wiggle room being a transactional leader due to the fact either the team member has accomplished the task or failed. It can become a boring style because you are constantly giving the team member a task to complete and them depending on the result you can take away the opportunity of developing more.

    Read More

More about James Forman

Open Document