This morning, the world at large mourned the loss of civil rights leader Rev. C.T. Vivian.
White was integral in sit-in protests in Illinois during the 1940’s. He later worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. Most notably, he was an early and active member of King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Committee (SCLC). He ultimately earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President Barack Obama in 2013.
Civil rights veteran Rev. C.T. Vivian has died at age 95.
An associate of MLK, in 1965 he was beaten by a segregationist sheriff in Selma while trying to register Black voters — a moment that helped spark the march that pressured Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. pic.twitter.com/1ja3Ye6l3u
— AJ+ (@ajplus) July 17, 2020
“The trail they blazed gave today’s generation of activists and marchers a roadmap to tag in and finish the journey,” the nation’s first Black President wrote after learning of White’s passing.
“And I have to imagine that seeing the largest protest movement in history unfold over his final months gave the Reverend a final dose of hope before his long and well-deserved rest,” he added.
White suffered a stroke in his home approximately two months ago. Since then, he had been receiving care and support from his family at home. White was 95 years young at the time of his passing.
