Hidden in Plain Sight: Black Female Leadership in the Montgomery Bus Boycott
This lesson brings forward the stories of Black women and girls whose activism and leadership were key to the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Booklet for the Montgomery Improvement Association, ca. 1960.
Source: National Archives
A grassroots civil rights organization formed on December 5, 1955, after the Women’s Political Council held its successful 1-day boycott of Montgomery’s buses. The MIA was led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and, while many of its members also were members of the NAACP, the MIA was the first primarily Black civil rights organization to operate independently of the NAACP. The MIA assumed responsibility of managing the Montgomery Bus Boycott and, with the support of its members and the WPC members, organized transportation, communicated routes, provided food, etc. to ensure the boycott would be sustainable until goals were met.
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