Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Pinback button of the Pan-African flag
- Creator: AFL-CIO
- Year: after 1955
- Location: United States
The Pan-African flag—also known as the UNIA flag, Afro-American flag, Black Liberation flag, and various other names—was originally adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) on August 13, 1920, whose leader, Marcus Garvey, had proposed the tri-color design consisting of three equal horizontal bands of (from top down) red, black and green. The flag later became a Black Nationalist symbol for the worldwide liberation of Black people and Black pride, and was popular during the Black Liberation movement of the 1960s. -
The color scheme appears in the flags of multiple African states and countries that won independence in the 1960s, as well as artistic works such as David Hammons' African-American Flag (1990).
- Smithsonian Institute / Wikipedia
Pinback button of the Pan-African flag is available in the public domain via Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture | Source: Smithsonian Institute
Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Team USA warm-up suit worn by Tommie Smith at 1968 Olympics
- Creator: Wilson Sporting Goods Co.
- Year: 1968
- Location: Mexico City, Distrito Federal (place used)
During their medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City on October 16, 1968, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two African-American athletes representing the United States, each raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the US national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner". While on the podium, Smith and Carlos, who had won gold and bronze medals respectively in the 200-meter running event of the 1968 Summer Olympics, turned to face the US flag and then kept their hands raised until the anthem had finished. In addition, Smith, Carlos, and Australian silver medalist Peter Norman all wore human-rights badges on their jackets.
- Smithsonian / Wikipedia
Team USA warm-up suit worn by Tommie Smith at 1968 Olympics is available in the public domain via Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture | Source: Smithsonian Learning Lab
Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Dress sewn by Rosa Parks, 1955-56. USA
- Creator: Rosa Parks
- Year: 1955 - 1956
- Location: Montgomery, Alabama
The belt is made from the same fashion fabric as the dress, with a plain weave beige fabric backing. The front and back of the belt are machine stitched around the edge, and a layer of interfacing between them provides some stiffening. The belt has an oval-shaped metal single-prong buckle covered in the dark brown and yellow floral fabric, and five (5) white grommets on the opposite end of the belt for an adjustable closure.
Dress sewn by Rosa Parks, 1955-56. USA is available in the public domain via Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane | Source: Smithsonian Learning Lab
Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Outfit worn by Carlotta Walls to Little Rock Central High School. 1957. Sportswear by Sheinberg
- Creator: Sportswear by Sheinberg
- Year: 1957
- Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Outfit worn by Carlotta Walls to Little Rock Central High School. 1957. Sportswear by Sheinberg is available in the public domain via Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Carlotta Walls LaNier | Source: Smithsonian Learning Lab
Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Pinback button from SNCC, ca. 1965. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, USA
- Creator: Unidentified
- Year: ca. 1965
- Location: United States
Pinback button from SNCC, ca. 1965. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, USA is available in the public domain via Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture | Source: Smithsonian Learning Lab
Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Straw sombrero hat associated with Civil Rights campaign, 1971-1972. Camden, Alabama, USA
- Creator: Unidentified
- Year: 1971-1972
- Location: United States
Straw sombrero hat associated with Civil Rights campaign, 1971-1972. Camden, Alabama, USA is available in the public domain via Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Rosetta M. Anderson | Source: Smithsonian Learning Lab
Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Pinback button for CORE and Black Power, ca. 1966 Congress of Racial Equality, USA
- Creator: Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
- Year: ca. 1966
- Location: United States
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the Civil Rights Movement. Founded in 1942, its stated mission is "to bring about equality for all people regardless of race, creed, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or ethnic background."
Pinback button for CORE and Black Power, ca. 1966 Congress of Racial Equality, USA is available in the public domain via Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture | Source: Smithsonian Institute
Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Straw hat worn during the 1966 March Against Fear
- Creator: Unidentified
- Year: 1966
- Location: Canton, Madison County, Mississippi (Place used)
The March Against Fear was a major 1966 demonstration in the Civil Rights Movement in the South. Activist James Meredith invited only individual black men to join him on June 5, 1966, intending to make a solitary walk from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, a distance of 220 miles, to counter the continuing racism in the Mississippi Delta after passage of federal civil rights legislation in the previous two years and to encourage African Americans in the state to register to vote.
On the second day of his walk, June 6, 1966, Meredith was shot and wounded by James Aubrey Norvell, a white sniper, and was hospitalized for treatment. Major civil rights organizations rallied to the cause, vowing to carry on the march in Meredith's name through the Mississippi Delta and to the state capital. The state committed to protecting the marchers. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) took part, with Deacons for Defense and Justice from Louisiana providing armed protection.They registered more than 4,000 African Americans for voting in counties along the way.
Finally, an estimated 15,000 mostly black marchers entered the capital of Jackson on June 26, making it the largest civil rights march in the history of the state. The march served as a catalyst for continued community organizing and political growth over the following years among African Americans in the state.
- Smithsonian Institute / Wikipedia
Straw hat worn during the 1966 March Against Fear is available in the public domain via Creative Commons .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of John T. Cumbler | Source: Smithsonian Learning Lab
Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Pair of blue sneakers worn by Wellington Webb while campaigning
- Creator: ASICS
- Year: 1991
- Location: Denver, Colorado, United States, North and Central America (Place used)
Pair of dark blue Asics sneakers that show wear and tear. Sneakers are the "Tiger" style with mesh on the toe box. Suede leather heel counters, and vamp. Criss-crossing leather lines on either side of the shoe. Lines have holes for ventilation. Laces are dark gray and are laced completely to the shoes. White and black soles. On the exterior of the shoe tongues is a white tag with blue, stitched text [ASICS/TIGER].
- Smithsonian Institute / Wikipedia
Pair of blue sneakers worn by Wellington Webb while campaigning is available in the public domain via Creative Commons .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Honorable Wellington E. Webb and Wilma J. Webb | Source: Smithsonian Institute
Worn: clothing and accessories from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
T-shirt worn by Rahiel Tesfamariam at a protest commemorating Michael Brown
- Creator: Hands Up United
- Year: 2015
- Location: Ferguson, Missouri
T-shirt worn by Rahiel Tesfamariam at a protest commemorating Michael Brown is available in the public domain via Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication .
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Rahiel Tesfamariam | Source: Smithsonian Learning Lab
