Great Figures of the Civil Rights Movement

By: Hasan Kwame Jeffries, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Hasan Kwame Jeffries

Malcolm X. Marcus Garvey. Charles Hamilton Houston. Diane Nash. For every well-known figure of the Civil Rights Movement, there are dozens of lesser-known, yet no less significant, activists who helped advance America’s social views and helped shape race relations in this country. Most listeners have only skimmed the surface of these deeply complex, influential, and world-changing figures. Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries of The Ohio State University delves into their stories, presenting an intimate study of the men and women who led half a century of social change.

Listeners will hear the histories behind well-known names, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, and gain surprising insight and deep context about the activists’ contributions. Dr. Jeffries also introduces figures whose names may be less familiar, but who also played vital roles in Civil Rights, such as Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Stokely Carmichael.

Each biography unfolds like a piece of riveting fiction, as Dr. Jeffries recounts the challenges and successes of the individuals - and the tremendous risks they took - while explaining how their choices transformed the way we now think about race and justice. Most importantly, listeners will discover how actions that may have seemed small or even futile at the time gradually rippled into waves of social change that impacted decades to come.

©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Always more to learn

I've spent a lot of time learning about Black History. There's always more to learn. I appreciate the way this was written.

One of the best

The narrator speaks like a narrator should. Clear, interesting stories, and not just because of the content (though that's also great).

Each lesson kept me interested throughout. A series of amazing histories.

Good lecturer and structure, wish it were longer

I like the Great Courses series a lot and haven't tried the audible originals yet. Professor Jeffries is really good, and I recommend this as a primer on civil rights, but he definitely focuses this on covering a few big and a few lesser known members of the movement. Don't expect a full overview.

Well done!

This work is an excellent lesson to share with others, especially if you're interested in expanding your knowledge of the individuals and movements covered. I'm going to read a biography of Ms. Ella Baker.
Enjoy.

Tru History - Told Well

So many people that I knew so little about. You should listen. Worth the effort.

This is a course everyone should take!

This course took me a long time to get through. Not because it wasn't well written, thoroughly researched, and overall fantastic. Rather, it's just so hard not to be angry about the blatant injustice then and now.

This is a course that everyone needs to take. You won't find these history lessons in K-12 schools and most likely not in any secondary education you'd take. It's important we understand the darkest parts of our past and present. There is no change until we do so.

Need to know

Everyone needs to know this history if we are going to be able to move forward in an informed and positive manner.

Side note: the narrator is very good, and every once in a while he says something and it sounds exactly like Gil Scott-Heron

Inspiring stories, well read!

This really helped fill in a few gaps in my awareness of Civil Rights leaders. Definitely worth a listen!!

Educational

Eye opening in many ways the different figures that were involved. Definitely worth the investment of time.

Worth the 6 hours

Within 6 hours, I was able to learn a lot about the barriers my race had to conquer to secure freedom. This professor went into great details and the story line matched perfectly. Overall it was great and intriguing.