An Unsung Hero Of The Civil Rights Movement

An Unsung Hero Of The Civil Rights Movement

            As we know, the struggle for civil rights has been an ongoing and uphill battle.  The fight to improve racial equality has been a must vital cause.  Throughout the fight for civil rights, there are many soldiers who gave their lives for a better life for all people.  There are many unsung heroes who did much but never received their credit. As those who dedicated their whole lives to the struggle for civil rights and did not gain a lot of self -recognition, one name comes to mind E. D. Nixon.

            Nixon was a man who was always on the front lines of the civil rights battlefield.  Nixon was one of the most influential civil rights leaders that was never properly recognized. He worked alongside people such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Ralph Abernathy. Although, Nixon was in the company of all these famous civil rights leaders, he did not gain the fame that his contemporaries’ did.  The role Nixon played in the in the civil rights movement was huge.  It was Nixon who was one of the key players in the Montgomery bus boycott. His work was very crucial in the success of the Montgomery bus boycott but Nixon achievements went unnoticed.

            E.D Nixon was born July 12 1899 in Lowndes County, Alabama. Nixon was the son of a Baptist preacher. Nixon ‘s mother died at a very young age and with seven other siblings his education was very limited.  In fact Nixon obtained only 16 months of public school education. Even with very little education, Nixon became a successful leader.  He proved to be a dedicated civil rights leader.

             Nixon was a key figure in the struggle for civil rights but many other civil rights leaders over shadowed him.  In 1955 Nixon work with Montgomery bus boy cot was tremendous.  The boycott was very successful with Nixon’s help as an organizer and a planner.  It was Nixon and Jo Ann Robinson who began to find the right strategy to attack the bus system of Montgomery.  They needed actual witnesses to testify against the racial discrimination of blacks riding the bus system of Montgomery, Alabama.  It was Nixon who ultimately chose Rosa Parks for the task that was at hand. She was arrested because she refused to give her seat to a white person on the bus. Rosa Parks was a key witness in the case of  Browder v Gayle that proved that the Montgomery Bus system was unconstitutional. The segregation of the bus system was ended in 1956. Although, Nixon spearheaded the plan of action, it was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks who would later gain world fame for this great victory.

            As a life-long organizer and activist Nixon became the president of the Montgomery branch of the N.A.A.C.P. and he was highly involved in the Montgomery Welfare League, and was a leader of the local branch of the Brothers of The Sleeping Car Porters. which was the organization that Nixon himself helped organize.  Nixon also was very heavily involved in the Montgomery Voters League and in fact in 1940 Nixon organized a failed mission of 750 men march to the courthouse in Montgomery, Alabama to protest voters registration.

E. D. Nixon was a very well respected civil rights leader.  As a matter of fact, Dr. King thought very highly of Nixon and had these words to say about him.  King said that Nixon was “One of the Chief Voices of The Negro Community in the area of civil rights and a symbol of the hopes and aspirations of the long oppressed people of the state of Alabama.” This statement made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. indicated the hard diligent work that Nixon had accomplished to bring hope to not only blacks in Alabama but to all other oppressed people around the world.  Nixon dedicated his whole life to the fight for the advancement of people who were disenfranchised and oppressed.  As an unsung hero Nixon did many great things and has never received much credit. He continued to work and serve those who needed not only a mouthpiece, but someone willing to take the much needed action to accomplish the task at hand.

The life of E.D. Nixon is the life of a great man who did many great things for which he received very little credit.   Although, his worked mattered much Nixon was a man whose life and legacy unfortunately is lost in history.  Although his life is recorded in the history of the fight for the civil rights movement, Nixon is hardly recognized as a civil rights leader that made a serious impact or contribution to humanity. He was responsible for the insurgence of Rosa Parks and how effective his strategy was in bringing down the segregated bus system of Montgomery, Alabama. While Nixon worked along- side of Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, he was just as important to the movement as they were.  Nixon promoted many changes to come for the world to be a better place for all people.  Nixon passed away in 1987, leaving a forgotten legacy behind.  Nixon was a man whose accomplishments are credited to many others.  He was an unsung hero of the civil rights movement. It is time to pay homage to this legend!