Amelia Boynton Robinson

[[File: Amelia Boynton Robinson], Biography.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014. As a young girl, she became involved in campaigning for

Amelia Boynton Robinson (August 18, 1911 – August 26, 2015) was a prominent American civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the Selma Voting Rights Movement and the broader Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Her efforts were instrumental in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Early Life and Education

Amelia Isadora Platts was born in Savannah, Georgia, to George and Anna Platts. She was raised in a family that valued education and activism. Amelia attended the Tuskegee Institute, where she earned a degree in home economics in 1927. Her education at Tuskegee, an institution founded by Booker T. Washington, was influential in shaping her commitment to civil rights and social justice.

Civil Rights Activism

Amelia Boynton Robinson's activism began in the 1930s when she and her husband, Samuel Boynton, worked to register African American voters in Alabama. They were deeply involved in the struggle for voting rights, which was a dangerous and challenging endeavor in the segregated South.

Selma Voting Rights Movement

In the 1960s, Boynton Robinson became a key figure in the Selma Voting Rights Movement. She was one of the organizers of the Selma to Montgomery marches, which were pivotal in raising national awareness about the struggle for voting rights. On March 7, 1965, a day that became known as "Bloody Sunday," Boynton Robinson was brutally beaten by law enforcement officers as she attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. The images of her and other marchers being attacked were broadcast across the nation, galvanizing public support for the civil rights movement.

Role in the Voting Rights Act

The events of Bloody Sunday and the subsequent marches from Selma to Montgomery were crucial in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This landmark legislation prohibited racial discrimination in voting, and Boynton Robinson's courage and leadership were instrumental in its enactment.

Later Life and Legacy

After the passage of the Voting Rights Act, Boynton Robinson continued to be active in civil rights and political causes. She ran for Congress in 1964, becoming the first African American woman to do so in Alabama. Although she did not win, her candidacy was a significant step forward for African American political representation.

In her later years, Boynton Robinson remained a symbol of the civil rights movement. She received numerous awards and honors for her contributions, including an invitation to attend the signing of the Voting Rights Act by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Amelia Boynton Robinson passed away on August 26, 2015, at the age of 104. Her life and work continue to inspire generations of activists and leaders committed to the cause of equality and justice.

Also see

• Selma to Montgomery marches
• Voting Rights Act of 1965
• Civil Rights Movement
• Bloody Sunday (1965)
• Edmund Pettus Bridge