The Civil Rights Movement 1954 - 1979

1966

Black Panther Party

  • Black liberationist political organization was founded in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.

  • Multiple chapters across the US organized to protect Black communities from police brutality through "cop watching" and community self-defense training

  • Advocacy included: anti-imperialism, anti-fascism, anti-racism, anti-capitalism, and wealth redistribution.

  • Ran several community social programs like the Free Breakfast for Children Program and community health clinics to improve food security and the health of Black communities

1967

Federation of Southern Cooperatives

  • Founded by several Black-owned and led cooperatives

  • Cooperative economic model supported Black land ownership, financial autonomy of Black businesses, and environmental sustainability

  • Black people, notably women, were able to exercise leadership and control over their working conditions

  • Enabled Black farmers to participate in Civil Rights movement, as sharecroppers could be evicted for registering to vote or listening to Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speak

1969

New Communities Land Trust

  • First community land trust Founded by Shirley Sherrod Farmer collective owned and operated by approximately a dozen Black farmers

1970

Freedom Farmers Cooperative

  • Founded by civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer Helped foster self-reliance in displaced farm workers

  • Institutionalized a structure for low-income people to access mutual aid, own land, farm cooperatively, and start small businesses

  • The cooperative model supported food security, a sustainable food system, and economic independence

Melanie Allen