Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Honoring the life and legacy of Reverend C.T. Vivian.
Body
WHEREAS, Reverend C.T. Vivian passed away on July 17th, 2020, at age 95; and,
WHEREAS, Reverend Vivian dedicated his life to the fight for civil rights; and,
WHEREAS, Reverend Vivian was a champion of non-violent protest; and,
WHEREAS Reverend Vivian organized sit-ins to protest segregation as early as the 1940s; and,
WHEREAS, Reverend C.T. Vivian was a member of the Freedom Riders, who protested segregated bus terminals; and,
WHEREAS, Reverend Vivian began working closely with Martin Luther King Jr in the 1950s; and,
WHEREAS, Reverend C.T. Vivian led many campaigns against segregation in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as throughout the southern United States; and,
WHEREAS, Reverend Vivian was an influential member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, becoming the national director of affiliates in 1963; and,
WHEREAS, Reverend Vivian’s speech at the Dallas County Courthouse in Selma, Alabama, and subsequent beating by the Dallas County Sherriff in 1965, which were televised, spurred thousands to attend the famous March from Selma to Montgomery; and,
WHEREAS, Reverend Vivian suffered beatings at the hands of Southern law enforcement and was jailed many times for peacefully demonstrating for civil rights; and,
WHEREAS, Reverend C.T. Vivian received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2013,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Madison Common Council honors the life and legacy of Reverend C. T. Vivian, a hero of the Civil Rights Movement.
SOURCE: <https://www.npr.org/2020/07/17/892223763/c-t-vivian-civil-rights-leader-and-champion-of-nonviolent-action-dies-at-95>