Baltimore and the Civil Rights Movement - Paperback

by Philip J. Merrill (Author)

In all aspects of life, from politics and education to religion and business, the Black Baltimore community has been a leader for civil rights. From the 19th century until the 1970s, Baltimore has been at the forefront of various civil rights movements. Black Baltimoreans helped establish the Niagara Movement, the precursor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and had one of the most active NAACP branches, counting among its members pastors, politicians, entrepreneurs, educators, athletes, musicians, and others. Meritorious services were rendered by Rev. Harvey Johnson; William Ashbie Hawkins; Lillie Carroll Jackson; Lillie's daughter Juanita Jackson Mitchell; Juanita's husband, Clarence Maurice Mitchell Jr.; Walter Thomas Dixon; Enolia McMillan; Lena King Lee; and countless others who created a proud legacy of activism in the Monumental City.

Author Biography

Philip Jackson Merrill, an author, historian, consultant, founder and CEO of Nanny Jack & Company LLC, served as the Black Americana specialist on two Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) shows: Antiques Roadshow and Chesapeake Collectibles for several years. In 2013, Merrill's oral history was archived in the Library of Congress by the HistoryMakers, and in 2021, he received the Baltimore City Historical Society's History Honors Award. Merrill is currently an expert contributor with the Discovery Channel's television show Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America. In 2023, he was appointed as a commissioner to the Maryland Commission for African American History and Culture.