There has been much written about the civil rights movement and its leaders. However, the focus of such research has been on the male leaders of the “movement.” Very scant attention has been paid to the many women involved in the organizations that played crucial roles in Black social movements and organizations that supported such movements. The civil rights movement and its related organizations, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Black Panther Party and their activities were often organized and coordinated by women. This presentation will discuss the various roles women played in the movement to gain equal rights. Their activism served as a primer for other movements and lessons in grassroots organizing.

Carolyn E. Gross is an associate professor emerita of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Human Services at the University of Lynchburg. Her areas of specialization, publications, and teaching include “Marriage and the Family,” “Race and Ethnic Relations,” “Domestic Violence,” “Cultural Anthropology,” “Principles of Sociology,” and “Human Sexuality.”

Dr. Sharon Foreman is the director of University of Lynchburg’s DELL General Education Curriculum, the chairperson of the Department of Sociology and Human Services, the director of the Center for Community Development & Social Justice, and the founder of the University’s program in human services. She holds a PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Social Work, an MSW from Washington University, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, and a BA in criminal justice and sociology from University of Richmond. She is a Human Services Board Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP) and a Certified Crisis Counselor.

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