Don Edwards (1915 - 2015)

Former U.S. Representative Don Edwards has died, according to The Associated Press. He was 100.A leading congressional Democrat from California, he was a champion of civil rights and the environment during his three decades on the hill in Washington.

Juanita Abernathy (1931–2019), civil rights leader

Juanita Abernathy was one of the last remaining civil rights leaders who were there at the beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

C.T. Vivian (1924–2020), civil rights leader who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rev. C.T. Vivian was one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, who worked alongside to organize sit-ins and marches in the pursuit of equality.

John Lewis (1940-2020), civil rights legend & U.S. Rep. from Georgia

John Lewis , the long-serving U.S. representative from Georgia who was one of the most prominent leaders of the American civil rights movement, died Friday, July 17, his family announced in a statement.

Bruce Boynton (2020), civil rights activist who inspired Freedom Rides

Bruce Boynton was a civil rights activist whose 1960 landmark Supreme Court case inspired the iconic Freedom Rides.

Rabbi Israel Dresner (1929–2022), civil rights activist who was a Freedom Rider

Rabbi Israel Dresner was a civil rights activist who protested segregation alongside his friend, .

Harry Belafonte (1927–2023), legendary singer, actor, and activist

Harry Belafonte was the “King of Calypso,” a singer known for his signature song, “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),” as well as an actor and a prominent civil rights activist.

Catherine Burks-Brooks (1939–2023), Freedom Rider 

Catherine Burks-Brooks was a civil rights activist who joined the Freedom Riders as they campaigned for anti-segregation laws to be enforced in the South. 

Charles Person (1942–2025), youngest of the Freedom Riders

Charles Person was a civil rights activist best known as the youngest of the original Freedom Riders, a group of activists who challenged illegal, unconstitutional racial segregation that was rampant throughout the American South.