IN MEMORIAM: Civil Rights legend Bob Moses dies at 86
-Photo courtesy of NPR.org- Robert Parris, one of America’s foremost civil rights leaders Moses,
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA
Robert Parris Moses, one of America’s foremost civil rights leaders who stood fearless in the face of violence to register African American voters in the South, has died at the age of 86.
His daughter, Maisha Moses, announced his death.
Often clad in denim overalls, Moses drew comparisons to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The depth and scale of Moses’ courage proved legendary. His activism drew the ire of white supremacists, but minorities and the oppressed hailed him as a pioneer.
Moses famously noted the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s (SCLC) Ella Baker as an inspiration.
In a tribute released by the Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee (SNCC) on Sunday, July 25, SNCC officials said Moses was key to the SNCC launching its voter registration campaign in Mississippi. That work led to Freedom Schools, the 1964 Summer Project, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, the Poor People’s Campaign, and the Mississippi Freedom Labor Union.
“And these not only began to alter the face of Mississippi, but also challenged the country to be true to the best in itself,” the SNCC wrote in its tribute.
They continued: “At the heart of these efforts was SNCC’s idea that people – ordinary people long denied this power – could take control of their lives. These were the people that Bob brought to the table to fight for a seat: maids, sharecroppers, day workers, barbers, beauticians, teachers, preachers, and many others from all walks of life.”
The statement continued: “The Algebra Project [Moses] founded in 1982 is a direct outgrowth of this early work in Mississippi. The project’s work aims to prepare those still kept on the bottom rungs of our society for success in the information economy of the 21st century.
“Finally, the SNCC Legacy Project wants to issue a call on behalf of Bob and other SNCC veterans like Julian Bond, John Lewis, Chuck McDew, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ruby Doris Robinson, James Forman, Marion Barry, Ms. Ella Baker, Amzie Moore, Unita Blackwell, and the local people with whom they worked to continue to raise the banner of the continuing struggle for a better world.”
Stacy M. Brown is the NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent. Follow him at @StacyBrownMedia.
