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#EverydayBlackHistory Day 1- Jimmie Lee Jackson

jimmie-lee-jacksonSome know about “Bloody Sunday,” a voting rights march that began in Selma, AL and ended in violence.  However, few know about Jimmie Lee Jackson, an activist whose death was the catalyst for the march in Selma, which lead to the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Jimmie Lee Jackson was a young man from Alabama who tried to register to vote numerous times but was denied due to the color of his skin. On February 18, 1965, when Jimmie was 26, he, his mother Viola Jackson, and his 82 year old grandfather Cager Lee, participated in a protest in Marion, AL. Protesters were attacked by state troopers and Jimmie and his grandfather sought refuge in a restaurant, Mack’s Cafe. In the cafe, Jimmie’s mother was being attacked by two state troopers. Jimmie went to her rescue, was thrown by a state trooper into a cigarette machine, and shot twice in the stomach by state trooper James Bonard Fowler.

Jimmie was taken to the Good Samaritan hospital in Selma, AL and appeared to be recovering. However, days later, Jimmie died.

The Black community was outraged. Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) organizer James Bevel stated “We will march Jimmie’s body to the state capitol in Montgomery and lie it on the steps so Governor George Wallace can see what he’s done.” While they did not do that, activists did plan a 54 mile march from Selma to Montgomery, AL on Sunday March 7, 1965, four days after Jimmie’s funeral. However, activists were met with violence at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, in what is know known as “Bloody Sunday.”

In 2007, James Bonard Fowler (at the age of 74) was indicted for the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson. He pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and served five months in prison.

Today, we remember Jimmie Lee Jackson, whose life was taken seeking justice. Many do not know his name or his story but his life and death played a major role in Black people gaining the right to vote in America.

#EverydayBlackHistory

Click here to read more about Jimmie Lee Jackson.

 

 

 

By Aleidra Allen

Aleidra Allen is a social change advocate and entrepreneur. With a background in higher education administration, Aleidra served as a higher education practitioner for 4 years. During that time, she coordinated leadership programs and multicultural education, and advised student organizations and fraternities and sororities, . However, as society entered into the current social movement, Aleidra’s career was redirected.

In September of 2017, Aleidra took a leap of faith and left higher education to start her own business. She is now the founder and owner of PIE, which stands for Purpose In Everything. PIE is a start-up social enterprise that sells every day products, adding purpose to the purchases by donating 5% of its net sales to fund social change work. The products are also ethically made, being sweatshop-free, and many of them are environmentally friendly.

PIE is committed to social justice, with the goal of inspiring consumers to contribute to social change through conscious and intentional buying. You can follow PIE on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @piemovement, and visit the PIE website at www.piemovement.com to #BuyOnPurpose. If you are interested in having Aleidra facilitate diversity and inclusion trainings/workshops for you school, organization, or corporation, please email info@piemovement.com.

Aleidra has shared her perspectives on larger platforms as a repeating guest on HuffPost Live. She has also been published on Watch The Yard and Blavity.

Aleidra received her Bachelor of Science in Community Communications and Leadership Development from the University of Kentucky (UK). She later earned her Master of Arts in Education (specialization in Higher Education Administration) from Louisiana State University (LSU). Aleidra is a board member for Continuity, an active member of the Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a “Big” in Big Brothers Big Sisters, and a member of the choir at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO.

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