This morning, as we celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we want to focus on where the Civil Rights movement is today, as well as the current state of some of the city’s most important Civil Rights landmarks. But first, let’s start with a look back at the history of the movement here in Maryland. In the early years of the movement, men often overshadowed the women who played pivotal roles as activists and organizers. Last week, Tom spoke with two women who were front and center in the fight for equal rights.
First, Dr. Helena Hicks. She grew up in Sandtown-Winchester, and she has spent a lifetime agitating for civil rights. She was involved in an action at Read’s Drug Store in Baltimore in 1955. Tom asked her to take us back to that chilly morning as she waited for a bus to take her to school at what is now Morgan State University.
Then, Tom turned to Civil Rights ActivistGloria Richardson. She was part of the Cambridge Movement in the 1960s on the Eastern Shore of Maryland – an area that she has compared to living in the Deep South. She helped organize the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee.
