Rest in peace. Amelia is the kind of history that should be taught to our children, in our education system.
6
A person's legacy can be made in a day... or in a lifetime.
Mrs. Boynton Robinson's legacy was both.
And a legacy like hers is what inspires faith in democracy.
Mrs. Boynton Robinson's legacy was both.
And a legacy like hers is what inspires faith in democracy.
6
We have indeed come a long ways, but let's not forget that advances can easily be reversed. We should honor Mrs. Boynton Robinson by staying on our toes and making sure that voter suppression tactics are resolutely combated. We should furthermore educate our children in what Mrs. Boynton Robinson exemplified. We can do this by looking at the image of the state trooper standing over Mrs. Boynton Robinson and asking which figure represents dignity and which dishonor, which the future and which the past, which the bully and which the victim, which courage and which cowardice and which beauty and which ugliness incarnate. Make sure our children understand the difference.
15
M.C.'s younger daughter in Brooklyn, NY.
Amazing person. A true heroine.
Rest in peace, dear lady.
Amazing person. A true heroine.
Rest in peace, dear lady.
2
@B.D from Topeka. I am at a loss for words (well, kinda). You are reading a feel good article about an amazing African-American woman who confronted the racist power structure with grace, intelligence and perseverance. Yet you state, "The blacks rush to take what they can from everyone else in their moment of weakness, spread the flames, keep it going and then blame it on white injustice. You have to change." Actually, the only person that has to change is you. Good grief, a sister cannot even read a comments section about a Civil Rights heroine without being bombarded by the stupid!
7
M.C's daughter from Brooklyn, NY.
One sister to another: I am so glad you spoke.
THANK YOU!
One sister to another: I am so glad you spoke.
THANK YOU!
2
In 1965 those who would deny minorities the rights to vote or eat at a lunch counter clubbed and beat them until bloody.
In 2015 there are no clubbings but the effort to stop African Americans from voting continues. Knowing full well that African Americans (and others, including the elderly and the poor) have a larger percentage of people who do not drive, require driver's licenses or other forms of state ID to vote and then close the polls on Sunday when poorer African Americans could accept free rides after church from their friends who did happen to have a car or a ride in the church van.
Mrs. Boynton Robinson's memory will best be served if the living continue to fight against the same injustices for which she accepted her beatings and lost her blood.
In 2015 there are no clubbings but the effort to stop African Americans from voting continues. Knowing full well that African Americans (and others, including the elderly and the poor) have a larger percentage of people who do not drive, require driver's licenses or other forms of state ID to vote and then close the polls on Sunday when poorer African Americans could accept free rides after church from their friends who did happen to have a car or a ride in the church van.
Mrs. Boynton Robinson's memory will best be served if the living continue to fight against the same injustices for which she accepted her beatings and lost her blood.
11
I am the former Director of Policy for the Congress of Racial Equality of California (CORE-CA) until Celes King IV suddenly died and there were serious ethical problems and I left.
CORE-CA was founded by Celes King III, one of the most famous of the Tuskeegee Airmen. He was an Army Air Force General and advisor to 3 presidents. The King Family of L.A., who were good friends with the MLK Family at the time, have over 117 years of continuous Human and Civil Rights.
On that day on that bridge in Selma Celes King IV was there. He told me he was luckily at the back not the front of those on the bridge. He told me it was very ugly and he knows ugly. Lucky for him and those in jail he spent the next week writing bail bonds. King Bail Bonds was the first Bail Bond Agency in 1948 to write bail bonds for civil rights leaders nationally.
We must super thank Mrs. Boynton Robinson for her lifelong heroism, real heroism. You must do something extraordinary to be a hero, not the joke now for anything.
She meets this standard, a very high standard.
Much has been done to eliminate real civil rights. This is why CORE-CA was founded about 1985, so to have a Human and Civil Rights Organization which is not compromised with outside money. Never took any outside money. We had a reputation everywhere for this.
The Legacy of Mrs Boynton Robinson and all 4 Celes Kings and the over 117 years of the King Family must be respected and extended forever.
CORE-CA was founded by Celes King III, one of the most famous of the Tuskeegee Airmen. He was an Army Air Force General and advisor to 3 presidents. The King Family of L.A., who were good friends with the MLK Family at the time, have over 117 years of continuous Human and Civil Rights.
On that day on that bridge in Selma Celes King IV was there. He told me he was luckily at the back not the front of those on the bridge. He told me it was very ugly and he knows ugly. Lucky for him and those in jail he spent the next week writing bail bonds. King Bail Bonds was the first Bail Bond Agency in 1948 to write bail bonds for civil rights leaders nationally.
We must super thank Mrs. Boynton Robinson for her lifelong heroism, real heroism. You must do something extraordinary to be a hero, not the joke now for anything.
She meets this standard, a very high standard.
Much has been done to eliminate real civil rights. This is why CORE-CA was founded about 1985, so to have a Human and Civil Rights Organization which is not compromised with outside money. Never took any outside money. We had a reputation everywhere for this.
The Legacy of Mrs Boynton Robinson and all 4 Celes Kings and the over 117 years of the King Family must be respected and extended forever.
14
Two distinctly inspiring photos to match, Ms. Robinson's legacy. Let us all be grateful for, Ms. Robinson's tireless advocacy, but let us also be dedicated to seeing that her efforts and those of her heroic colleagues were not in vain. The US Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act in, Shelby County v. Holder, and the GOP's agenda to capitalize on that setback reminds us that we must continue to battle for our voice and our right vote.
Mrs. Robinson's advocacy reminds me of "Troublemaker," a Demetria Martinez poem that states, "Mother, father there's no passing the cup, I'm going to be troublemaker when I grow up." Thank you, Mrs. Robinson!
Mrs. Robinson's advocacy reminds me of "Troublemaker," a Demetria Martinez poem that states, "Mother, father there's no passing the cup, I'm going to be troublemaker when I grow up." Thank you, Mrs. Robinson!
16
How about Mrs. Boynton Robinson on the $20 bill?
21
Thanks for telling her story. To too many, probably unknown. But, very inspiring and a great reminder for us to carry on, keep going, keep trying.
18
My students had the extraordinary blessing to sit and visit with Amelia Platts Boynton Robinson just before she led President Obama across The Bridge last March. You can see and hear her wisdom here: http://sbmsteenpress.org/SBMSTP26/SBMS_Teen_Press_Team_26/AMELIA_BOYNTON...
10
Thanks Amelia.
I hope you have found peace and equality.
An ideal we should all strive for.
I hope you have found peace and equality.
An ideal we should all strive for.
5
Perhaps the best way to honor Amelia Boynton Robinson's legacy would be to strip the name of Ku Klux Klansman and white supremacist Edmund Pettis from that bridge and rename it the Amelia Boynton Robinson bridge in her honor. What she suffered there on March 7, 1965, made the bridge an icon of both American Civil Rights and Voting Rights history and her name should be immortalized there for what she accomplished!
66
Why not Mrs. Robinson on the $20 bill? A great American.
16
Amelia Boynton Robinson, a true woman of courage. Did she ever think, back in 1965, as she entered that Edmund Pettus Bridge in 50 years she would be joined by another woman Robinson, Michelle Robinson Obama, a black First Lady, to cross that bridge again? And that her hand would be held crossing that damning bridge in freedom by a black president? Only in a dream could she possibly have imagined that back in 1965. But thank God for women like Mrs. Robinson - because it is their dreams and passion and courage that make the unimaginable possible.
How can we ever describe the deserving honor of this woman? Words can only say it. We honor Amelia Boynton Robinson. Her work here on earth is done. May she now rest in true peace and may others carry the load here.
How can we ever describe the deserving honor of this woman? Words can only say it. We honor Amelia Boynton Robinson. Her work here on earth is done. May she now rest in true peace and may others carry the load here.
35
A woman of courage and determination. This is what a hero looks like!
7
A hero for the ages. I would love to hear the New York Times explain, preferably by quoting her, the reasoning behind her joining Lyndon LaRouche and helping run the Schiller Institute for many, many years.
5
impressive woman
5
Truly a heroine for civil rights and voting rights. And now 50 years later history repeats itself as the GOP "fights voter fraud" with its draconian voter registration rules.
9
Maybe if you would spend less effort on flags and more on constructive goals that wouldn't be the case. How many of you who were registered vote?
There is so much talk from some people about honoring "those who put their lives on the line for their country." And you don't have to look far to find someone saying that "no veteran should be homeless, without medical care, or without opportunity."
Weren't people like Mrs. Boynton Robinson also putting their lives on the line for their country 50 years ago? Veterans of the civil rights struggle are veterans too.
But, I suspect, a great many of those veterans, as a great many of the uniformed kind, would NOT say, "no veteran should be ..." They would say rather, "no American should be ..." Or even, "NO ONE should be ..."
Weren't people like Mrs. Boynton Robinson also putting their lives on the line for their country 50 years ago? Veterans of the civil rights struggle are veterans too.
But, I suspect, a great many of those veterans, as a great many of the uniformed kind, would NOT say, "no veteran should be ..." They would say rather, "no American should be ..." Or even, "NO ONE should be ..."
16
Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done. Rest in peace, and may we continue to be honored by your efforts.
9
Thank you, Amelia Boynton Robinson, for your service to our country. My kinda gal.
11
'As a child, before the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 gave women the vote, she traveled with her mother by horse and buggy to pass out leaflets advocating women’s suffrage.
See here, again, the familiar white, liberal trope - that American women got the vote in 1920. No, they did not. White women got the vote in 1920. Black women did not. The article itself makes this clear: Amelia Boynton Robinson herself did not get the vote until she succeeded in registering for the vote in Alabama in the early 1930s.
Today, most white middle-class feminists in the USA, likewise here in Oz, conveniently ignore the fact that black women and other non-white women have never shared in the same opportunities handed down by the white patriarchy to white middle-class women.
In 2015, white feminists and white liberals of both sexes and all genders, continue in their own way to ensure that black folks are treated as lesser human beings than middle-class white folks. (Socio-economic class, sexuality, physical and mental disability, age, as well as skin colour also feed into this continuing spectrum of disability). With friends like these, who needs enemies like the GOP?
Amelia Boynton Robinson is my type of hero. Vulnerable yet indomitable, fearful yet brave, suffering yet ever stoic, never giving up. If only the world had more like her.
See here, again, the familiar white, liberal trope - that American women got the vote in 1920. No, they did not. White women got the vote in 1920. Black women did not. The article itself makes this clear: Amelia Boynton Robinson herself did not get the vote until she succeeded in registering for the vote in Alabama in the early 1930s.
Today, most white middle-class feminists in the USA, likewise here in Oz, conveniently ignore the fact that black women and other non-white women have never shared in the same opportunities handed down by the white patriarchy to white middle-class women.
In 2015, white feminists and white liberals of both sexes and all genders, continue in their own way to ensure that black folks are treated as lesser human beings than middle-class white folks. (Socio-economic class, sexuality, physical and mental disability, age, as well as skin colour also feed into this continuing spectrum of disability). With friends like these, who needs enemies like the GOP?
Amelia Boynton Robinson is my type of hero. Vulnerable yet indomitable, fearful yet brave, suffering yet ever stoic, never giving up. If only the world had more like her.
12
You might have wanted to have looked at the actual amendment before writing your comment. The text of the 19th Amendment reads simply:
"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."
So that amendment does in fact grant all women the right to vote. Whether that occurred in practice is a different issue. Also, registering to vote isn't the same as being given the right to vote.
"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."
So that amendment does in fact grant all women the right to vote. Whether that occurred in practice is a different issue. Also, registering to vote isn't the same as being given the right to vote.
7
I always regret to see great warriors of civilization pass away, still needed, the battle only half won. It is criminal that Amelia Robinson died unequal in this nation, her right to vote barely secure and on increasingly uncertain terrain, and her legal status as an equal female even less existent.
As always in the obituaries of the oldest and lifelong warriors no one ever mentions how these great women feel, after a lifetime of political action, that none of their efforts ever made them equal within the Constitution of the United States of America.
Born in 1911, she saw in her lifetime that women were given the right to vote and saw that further cemented in the Voting Rights Act, but she also saw in her life the Equal Rights Amendment thrown out in the 1980's, and she died unequal, a second-class citizen, her battle half-won.
What a great woman.
What a great warrior.
What a great loss.
As always in the obituaries of the oldest and lifelong warriors no one ever mentions how these great women feel, after a lifetime of political action, that none of their efforts ever made them equal within the Constitution of the United States of America.
Born in 1911, she saw in her lifetime that women were given the right to vote and saw that further cemented in the Voting Rights Act, but she also saw in her life the Equal Rights Amendment thrown out in the 1980's, and she died unequal, a second-class citizen, her battle half-won.
What a great woman.
What a great warrior.
What a great loss.
19
What warped view.
1
An amazing woman, a true American hero who stood up against injustice and racism. I am glad that she lived to witness one of the great results of her hard work and sacrifice, the first African American President.
Rest in peace, Amelia.
Rest in peace, Amelia.
15
Sister Boynton, is one of the many bricks in the foundation of this nation. This is why Black Lives Matter, African-Americans, the ordinary and the famous are at the core of pushing this nation towards a more perfect union.
6
And who are we today?
Jay-Z says he's more culturally important than Harry Belafonte, who paid Dr. King's family's living expenses so the Doctor could drum major for justice; who personally wrote the checks that funded the Freedom Rides,
Inferential racism is an argument or conclusion premised on a racial stereotype. Rupert Murdoch's business plan requires he build anger and mutual animus by pouring out inferential racism 24/7. Everything out of Bill O'Reilly's mouth is premised on racial or ethnic stereotypes.
We should protect our democratic republic, but that would be too hard for complacent Americans in the 21st Century. Instead, we wonder at people of the past who risked far more to give us our opportunity to fritter away the American dream.
Jay-Z says he's more culturally important than Harry Belafonte, who paid Dr. King's family's living expenses so the Doctor could drum major for justice; who personally wrote the checks that funded the Freedom Rides,
Inferential racism is an argument or conclusion premised on a racial stereotype. Rupert Murdoch's business plan requires he build anger and mutual animus by pouring out inferential racism 24/7. Everything out of Bill O'Reilly's mouth is premised on racial or ethnic stereotypes.
We should protect our democratic republic, but that would be too hard for complacent Americans in the 21st Century. Instead, we wonder at people of the past who risked far more to give us our opportunity to fritter away the American dream.
21
And then there is reverse inferential racism where everything is seen as being racist. I would submit that as long as you deal with problems in a reactionary manner, like with Ferguson, you will remain mired in your own problems.
How many times do we see something difficult and the first response by the black community is to screech racism, burn buildings, loot businesses and kill others? That's the response and has been in every major incident in predominantly black areas in the last 50 years. Blacks had the ability to govern both Detroit and New Orleans completely and showed the world you couldn't do it without abject corruption and failure.
So bask in your successes, yes, but acknowledge your own shortcomings, too, and correct them. There is a lot of inward looking to do as a segment of the population for yourselves to eliminate problems you created and stereotypes that you made yourselves. (And I don't mean those others created for you.) Stereotypes generally begin out of self evident truths. They continue until abated by real change....and not because of 'white people' which is where way too much excuse is directed.
This is what the majority of us see. When confronted with a forest fire most of us rush to fight it, preserve what we have and get people to safety. The blacks rush to take what they can from everyone else in their moment of weakness, spread the flames, keep it going and then blame it on white injustice. You have to change.
How many times do we see something difficult and the first response by the black community is to screech racism, burn buildings, loot businesses and kill others? That's the response and has been in every major incident in predominantly black areas in the last 50 years. Blacks had the ability to govern both Detroit and New Orleans completely and showed the world you couldn't do it without abject corruption and failure.
So bask in your successes, yes, but acknowledge your own shortcomings, too, and correct them. There is a lot of inward looking to do as a segment of the population for yourselves to eliminate problems you created and stereotypes that you made yourselves. (And I don't mean those others created for you.) Stereotypes generally begin out of self evident truths. They continue until abated by real change....and not because of 'white people' which is where way too much excuse is directed.
This is what the majority of us see. When confronted with a forest fire most of us rush to fight it, preserve what we have and get people to safety. The blacks rush to take what they can from everyone else in their moment of weakness, spread the flames, keep it going and then blame it on white injustice. You have to change.
2
B.D., thank you. Your comments are bold and true on so many levels — I commend your bravery and support your perspective.
B.D.
Every single shortcoming you detailed and the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" tainted recommendations you so eloquently suggested have been attempted at some point by African-Americans during our long and distinguished experience here in America.
Equally, every heinous, decrepit, violent, reactionary and morally bankrupt action you smeared onto the legacy of the African-American experience can all be attributed summarily to the WASP as part and parcel of the Angelo-American experience.
Please remember that when you speak of the horrors perpetuated throughout the history of the United States, it was and is the Angelo who initiated, maintained and ultimately benefitted from the the results of those horrors.
If you have any doubts, please ask any descendants of the Native Americans who populated this continent long before The Eurpoean arrive. That is, if you can find any.
Every single shortcoming you detailed and the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" tainted recommendations you so eloquently suggested have been attempted at some point by African-Americans during our long and distinguished experience here in America.
Equally, every heinous, decrepit, violent, reactionary and morally bankrupt action you smeared onto the legacy of the African-American experience can all be attributed summarily to the WASP as part and parcel of the Angelo-American experience.
Please remember that when you speak of the horrors perpetuated throughout the history of the United States, it was and is the Angelo who initiated, maintained and ultimately benefitted from the the results of those horrors.
If you have any doubts, please ask any descendants of the Native Americans who populated this continent long before The Eurpoean arrive. That is, if you can find any.
2
Her death date: Wed. Aug. 26 was the 95th anniversary of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote.
30
The "Edmund Pettis" Bridge should be renamed after her.
40
Why? That would just reduce the historical significance of it.
Amelia Boynton and Fannie Lou Hamer -- where would we be in the USA without these courageous, incredible women! May they rest in peace and may the world soon be a greater place of inclusivity and diversity than it is today! Let freedom ring!
12
Thank you for the wonderful picture of Mr. Obama and Ms. Robinson. We've come a long way.
24
not nearly far enough…
8
And still farther to go.
12
It's interesting that this same edition of the Times has a profile of Walter Mink, now 97, an oceanographer who has been making waves in his field (excuse the pun) since the 1930s, about the same time Amelia Boynton Robinson began her long career as a civil rights activist. One cannot help but feel both inspiration, and perhaps some envy, at these two individuals who did what they loved, and stuck with it well past the time most of us would have given up on aspiring to anything more than an occasional winning card at Bingo. Hats off to you both.
18
Amelia Boynton, Marie Foster, Albert Turner, F.D. Reese, Lonnie Brown these were the men and women who made personal sacrifice to see that not just African Americans but all Americans had unrestricted access to the ballot box.
Today we have a Supreme Court that is determined to limit access of the ballot from the less fortunate. We should never forget the efforts of the freedom fighters like Mrs. Boynton Robinson.
Today we have a Supreme Court that is determined to limit access of the ballot from the less fortunate. We should never forget the efforts of the freedom fighters like Mrs. Boynton Robinson.
93
Amelia Boynton Robinson is indeed a profile in courage. Her life is inspiring. It is stirring to read how her life links the fights for women's suffrage and black voting rights, the establishment of the Tuskegee Institute and the leadership of George Washington Carver, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Barack Obama.
Mrs. Boynton Robinson was a pivotal figure. Heroic herself, her actions also made possible the heroism of others. God speed and rest in peace.
Mrs. Boynton Robinson was a pivotal figure. Heroic herself, her actions also made possible the heroism of others. God speed and rest in peace.
45
A brave and dedicated woman that should inspire us all to work for a decent society. And thank you Ms. Fox for a very good summary of her life and times.
38
A courageous and remarkable woman. May she be an example to us all.
38
Every time another of these heroes and heroines dies — and we have seen several go in the recent past — it underscores what a cruel betrayal the current Republican strategy of vote suppression is (starting of course with the Roberts Court) and should harden our resolve to resist that as mightily as we can.
134
So glad she lived long enough to see President Obama elected.
96
and hold his hand on that bridge. Yes.
1
An extraordinary woman. An extraordinary life!
RIP!
RIP!
56
I salute you , Amelia Boynton Robinson!
42
We lost a national treasure today. May God keep her in His loving care.
45
Wonderful article! I pray that when you passed, God whispered to your soul "Well done faithful servant." Rest in peace!
64
A true American hero.
65
At Selma, Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of his great speeches, which seems poignant now with the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act, the shooting in the Charleston church, and the wave of Republican voter suppression.
"Yes, we are on the move and no wave of racism can stop us. ... The beating and killing of our clergymen and young people will not divert us. We are on the move now. ... Let us therefore continue our triumphant march to the realization of the American dream. ... Let us march on poverty until no American parent has to skip a meal so that their children may eat. March on poverty until no starved man walks the streets of our cities and towns in search of jobs that do not exist. Let us march on ballot boxes, until race-baiters disappear from the political arena. . ..Let us march on ballot boxes until we send to our city councils, state legislatures, and the United States Congress, men who will not fear to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.”
Hopefully the Voting Rights Act will be reinstated by Congress. The hard work, commitment, and sacrifice of Mrs. Boynton Robinson and so many others should not be forgotten.