Six Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement
By Hadley Meares While their stories may not be widely known, countless dedicated, courageous women were key organizers and activists in the fight for civil rights. Without these women, the struggle for equality would have never been waged. “Women have been the backbone of the whole civil rights movement,” activist Coretta Scott King asserted in the magazine New Lady in 1966. Here are a few of their stories. 1. Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray (1910–1985) Brandeis University professor Dr. Pauli Murray, 1970. (Credit: AP Photo) The Draftswoman of Civil Rights Victories The writings of The Rev. Dr. Anna Pauline “Pauli” Murray were a cornerstone of Brown v. Board of