Civil rights activist to speak at RI Arsenal
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO) The Rev. Walter Fauntroy is scheduled to speak at the Rock Island Arsenal Club today.
A civil rights activist who, among other achievements, coordinated the historic 1963 March on Washington with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., will speak today to Rock Island Arsenal employees.
The Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy’s appearance is in recognition of the King holiday and comes at the invitation of the island’s Equal Employment Opportunity office. He will speak at the Rock Island Arsenal Club.
“It’s not often we hear a first-hand account of the civil rights movement,” said Valerie Buckingham, Arsenal spokesman. “This is a great honor and learning experience for all of us.”
Some employees heard Fauntroy’s presentation a few years ago and thought he would be a good speaker for the local event, she said.
In 1961, King appointed Fauntroy to direct the Washington, D.C., office of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From that position, he helped coordinate the 1963 march, in which King delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech, one of the most famous speeches in American history.
He also helped manage the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March, which included the “Bloody Sunday” event in which marchers were attacked by state and local police and dogs, the 1966 Meredith Mississippi Freedom March as well as the 1983 20th anniversary event of the famous King march.
Fauntroy, 73, was appointed vice chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia in 1967, and in 1971, he was elected a delegate to the U.S. Congress, representing Washington, D.C.
Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com.
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
redditMore Stories By Deirdre Cox Baker
() comments
» More Local Stories
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- Introducing Maghound™
- Get All Your Favorite Magazines For as Low as $4.95 per Month.
- MAGHOUND.com
- Serious Entrepreneur Only
- $250K Yr Potential. No Calling. No Selling. Residuals. $3k Start Up.
- www.YourMillionDollarGamePlan.biz
- Cheap Airfare
- Compare multiple travel sites. Discount web fares made easy.
- www.LowFares.com
- Ads by Yahoo!
