AL - Charles Patrick sparked the first civil rights case in AL

Mr Patrick went out to buy his son a Boy Scouts Uniform on December 11, 1954. A white woman stole his parking spot and told him she was entitled because her husband was a cop. That evening Patrick was arrested, then dragged from his jail cell and beaten.

This man was a veteran of WW2 and Korea.

"He went public with their abuse. An extended legal effort resulted in the charges against him being dropped and the officers losing their jobs."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/us_nm/us_alabama_civilrights

He was honored for bravery by the organization that recognizes Dr King's assassination every year in AL. His wife of 63 years joined him, and his son has written a book about his struggle.

You know, I heard Jesse Jackson speak yesterday at a rally here. There were also two men there who were among the striking sanitation workers in Memphis when Dr. King was assassinated. It was seriously moving. I got a little teary more than once.

I'm in my 30's, and it's amazing to me to see how far we've come, as a nation (although I still think we have a ways to go). Within a lifetime, we've gone from it being considered OK to engage in that kind of behavior to having a black president. Seriously wow. Thanks for sharing, beleive!

(*Note: I recognize that Jackson can be a controversial figure, and the reasons for the rally may be controversial, and I am NOT trying to spark a political discussion--keeping that down in the political pavilion. Just commenting on the article here!)