yed important and key roles in the struggle for racial equality. Women’s experiences in the Civil Rights Movement can tell us a lot about the lives of ordinary and extraordinary women and their ability to access and be denied power in a movement for black liberation that was based on the idea of equality. There was an inherent contradiction within the movement for although many women were doing much of the organizing work; they still remained largely invisible while the men shone in the spotlight. Women of all different social classes and racial backgrounds participated in many different capacities throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Women that were involved in the movement could be found working behind the scenes or in the trenches along side the men helping to bring about social change throughout the movement. They could be found putting their bodies on the line in protest at segregated lunch counters, on buses for Freedom Rides travelling throughout the segregated South, as well as working door-to-door on voter registration drives throughout the South. (University of Florida: The Role of Women in the Civil Rights Movement).Traditionally, women have played a role in the growth and development of children, and children are still strongly influenced by women, but, little emphasis has been placed on where, when, why and how women have assisted in shaping this country. Based on Charles Payne study of the Civil Rights Movement, women involved in the Civil Rights Movement canvassed more than men, showed up more often at mass meetings and demonstrations, and frequently attempted to register to vote. (Crawford, Rouse and Woods, p. 2). Because sexism and racism intersected, women involved in the Civil Rights Movement had to not only have the strength to stand up for the rights of African-Americans, but also to be able to stand up to the sometimes one-sided views of the men involved in the movement. There are several women who...
