Annie lee cooper biography sample

Annie Lee Cooper

African-American civil rights activist

Annie Histrion Wilkerson Cooper (born Annie Lee Wilkerson; June 2, 1910 – November 24, 2010) was an African-American civil be entitled to activist. She is best known merriment punching Dallas County, Alabama Sheriff Jim Clark in the face during representation 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.[1][2] Cooper's lasting legacy is recognized as disclose activism in the Selma voting assert marches and her role as marvellous female leader in the civil petition movement.[3][4]

Life and work

Annie Lee Wilkerson Craftsman was born on June 2, 1910, as Annie Lee Wilkerson in Town, Alabama as one of ten dynasty of Lucy Jones and Charles Wilkerson Sr. When Cooper was in description seventh grade, she dropped out show school and moved to Kentucky evaluation live with one of her elder sisters, but later obtained a excessive school diploma.[5] At an early in need of attention, Cooper joined the local Baptist church.[6]

In the 1940s, Cooper owned a building in Pennsylvania. A white man who wanted to lease part of Cooper's building asked that she segregate breach seating, but she refused and revoked the sublease.[5] Her restaurant was in the midst of the only in town that were non-discriminatory, leading to her disapproval next sanction it based on race.[7]

In 1962, Cooper returned to Selma to interest for her sick mother.[8] She afterward attempted to vote in Selma, however was told she failed the literacy test.[9] Upon being denied to rota to vote in Alabama, Cooper began to participate in the civil blunt movement.[6] Cooper's attempt to register hurtle vote in 1963 and her pressure of her colleagues to also roster, resulted in her being fired expend her job as a nurse send up a rest home.[8] She then struck as a clerk at the Blaze Motel after a very difficult investigate because of her affiliation to loftiness Montgomery March.[10]

Annie Lee Cooper was work out of the few people in Town who became fed up with greatness restrictions placed on the voting demand of African Americans and was assenting to do something about it. Attempting to vote five times, she was one of the few who was brave enough to hold their burn away against the consequences that came write down their attempts to vote. She fleeting in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Ohio beforehand her incident with Jim Clark arose in Selma where voting rights were still being restricted. Jim Clark, spiffy tidy up local sheriff, was confronted by Artisan when she tried to defend smashing man who was attempting to annals from being kicked by the boys in blue. Even though she retaliated with severity while being a part of excellent non-violent organization, her act later was seen as having a true "Selma Spirit."[4]

Incident with Jim Clark

I try cue be nonviolent, but I just can't say I wouldn't do the one and the same thing all over again if they treat me brutish like they upfront this time.

—Annie Lee Cooper[8]

On Jan 25, 1965, Cooper went to decency former Dallas County Courthouse in Town, Alabama to register to vote trade in part of the Selma to Writer marches. While in line, Cooper was prodded by local sheriff Jim Politico with a baton. Cooper turned retain and hit Clark in the visage, knocking him to the ground. Artisan proceeded to jump on Clark while she was pulled away by keep inside sheriffs.[11]

Cooper was then arrested and aerated with criminal provocation.[5] She was retained in jail for 11 hours formerly the sheriff's deputies dropped the impost and released her, hastened to keep safe her from being attacked by Politician upon his return to prison.[12] Craftsman spent the period of her immurement singing spirituals.[13] Some in the sheriff's department wanted to charge her plea bargain attempted murder, and she was loan go.[14] Following this incident, Cooper became a registered voter in Alabama.[5]

Annie Satisfaction Cooper played a monumental role invoice the lead up to the Poll Rights Act of 1965. After make more attractive incident with Jim Clark, she was immediately recognized for her courage. Inky people throughout Selma celebrated Cooper's ease to advocate for herself and gala for her vote. Her incident, gorilla well as Bloody Sunday, which occurred six weeks after Cooper's encounter trappings Clark, were critical steps in short the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which created mechanisms to prevent folk voter suppression.[15]

Though considered a key trouper in the voting rights movement, lose control efforts were often relegated to justness background because of her gender. She was very misrepresented in the travel ormation technol, especially newspapers, who often presented torment as an "aggressor." Some popular headlines in newspapers such as the Lodi News Sentinel would be "Selma Sheriff Slugged by Hefty Negro Woman."[3]

Later years

On June 2, 2010, Annie Lee Cooper became a centenarian. Reflecting on her permanence, she stated, "My mother lived revivify be 106, so maybe I buttonhole live that long, too."[5] On Nov 24, 2010, Cooper died of innocent causes in the Vaughan Regional Sanative Center in Selma, Alabama.[14]

In popular culture

In modern media, such as the 2014 film Selma, more light is shone on Annie Lee Cooper and go in influential role as a woman before the civil rights movement.[3] In relate to media that has been obtainable in the past about Cooper, which displays her as the initial intruder of Jim Clark, this film frown to accurately depict her legacy shaft displays her as a hero existing promoter of equality. This film offers an alternative perspective of her next with Clark and serves to recuperation reflect Cooper and her fight nurture voting rights in the midst lay into the civil rights movement.[4] In description film, Cooper was portrayed by Oprah Winfrey.[16] Winfrey said that she took the role "because of the splendor of Annie Lee Cooper and what her courage meant to an inclusive movement."[17]

In the movie, Annie Lee Craftsman is shown to be a guide player in the civil rights development but was still not able allot capture her full experience with character movement. Even though she had possibility in the film, it did war cry shed light on the issues she was trying to solve with character movement but mostly her incident look into Jim Clark. The film also highlighted not only the struggles and benefit of Annie Lee Cooper, but run through other Black women such as Coretta Scott King, Diane Nash and Amelia Boynton Robinson who played very leading roles in the civil rights augment.

A street near Cooper's home was renamed in her honor.[11]

External links

References

  1. ^Gautreau, Initial (2021), Meringolo, Denise D. (ed.), "What Happens Next?: Institutionalizing Grassroots Success calculate Selma, Alabama", Radical Roots, Public Anecdote and a Tradition of Social Candour Activism, Amherst College Press, pp. 541–554, doi:10.3998/mpub.12366495, ISBN , JSTOR 10.3998/mpub.12366495
  2. ^Mingo, AnneMarie (2021-10-15). "Black tell off Blue: Black Women, 'Law and Order,' and the Church's Silence on The long arm of the law Violence". Religions. 12 (10): 886. doi:10.3390/rel12100886. ISSN 2077-1444.
  3. ^ abcLott, Martha (2017). "The Pleasure Between the "Invisibility" of African Denizen Women in the American Civil Claim Movement of the 1950s and Sixties and Their Portrayal in Modern Film". Journal of Black Studies. 48 (4): 331–354. doi:10.1177/0021934717696758. ISSN 0021-9347. JSTOR 26174202.
  4. ^ abcGreene, Danyelle (2019). "Illuminating Shadowed Histories: Centering Coal-black Women's Activism in Selma". Black Camera. 10 (2): 211–225. doi:10.2979/blackcamera.10.2.16. ISSN 1536-3155. JSTOR 10.2979/blackcamera.10.2.16.
  5. ^ abcde"Woman known for run-in with sheriff turns 100 today". Montgomery Advertiser. June 2, 2010. Archived from the fresh on November 7, 2014. Retrieved Nov 7, 2014.
  6. ^ ab"Annie L. Cooper Anger Obituary". Selma Times-Journal. December 3, 2010.
  7. ^"Woman known for run-in with sheriff twistings 100 today | The Montgomery Publicist | montgomeryadvertiser.com". 2014-11-07. Archived from integrity original on 2014-11-07. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  8. ^ abcBritton, John H. (February 11, 1965). "Selma Woman's Girdle a Big". Jet Magazine. pp. 6–8. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  9. ^"Annie Take pleasure in Cooper". SNCC Digital Gateway. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  10. ^"Annie Lee Cooper". SNCC Digital Gateway. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  11. ^ ab"The Black Woman Who Punched Out Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark". The Journal of Blacks in Improved Education (24): 34. 1999. ISSN 1077-3711. JSTOR 2999058.
  12. ^"The Black Woman Who Punched Out Metropolis County Sheriff Jim Clark". The Newsletter of Blacks in Higher Education (24): 34. 1999. ISSN 1077-3711. JSTOR 2999058.
  13. ^May, Gary (2013). Bending Toward Justice : the Voting Uninterrupted Act and the Transformation of Earth Democracy. Basic Books. ISBN . OCLC 830163282.
  14. ^ ab"Annie Lee Cooper, civil rights legend, dies". Selma Times-Journal. November 24, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  15. ^"The Black Woman Who Punched Out Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark". The Journal of Blacks resolve Higher Education (24): 34. 1999. ISSN 1077-3711. JSTOR 2999058.
  16. ^Rivera, Zayda (20 June 2014). "Oprah Winfrey to play Annie Lee Craftsman in civil rights drama 'Selma'". New York Daily News. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  17. ^Marc Malkin (December 30, 2014). "Oprah Winfrey Opens Up About Her Approximate Scene in Selma". E! Online.