To get content delivered to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter here. It’s free!

In factories, fields and offices across 20th century America, a courageous few waged long, arduous battles against discriminatory systems denying equal opportunities to women and minorities. Their moral struggle echoed the hallowed ideals of the nation’s founding – that all people have an unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

These civil rights trailblazers faced daunting opposition, scorn and even violence in dismantling workplace injustices through legal battles, protests and political advocacy. Yet their unwavering determination over decades laid crucial groundwork for more equitable, inclusive workplaces where employees could secure fair compensation, safe conditions and equal access to jobs regardless of race, gender or creed.

In honor of Juneteenth, we spotlight seven visionary leaders whose refusal to accept the status quo helped shape the workplace equality movement. Their stories honor the past but call on a new generation to push forward with the same conviction and perseverance.

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968): “The Voice That Awakened America’s Conscience”

Martin Luther King Jr. was born Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. His father, a Baptist minister, traveled to Germany and was inspired to change his name and his son’s name to Martin Luther, after the Protestant Reformation leader.

King entered Morehouse College at age 15 and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology. After earning a divinity degree from Pennsylvania’s Crozer Theological Seminary, he began doctoral studies in systematic theology at Boston University.

In 1955, King led the Montgomery bus boycott after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. The 13-month nonviolent protest ended segregated buses in Montgomery. King’s philosophy of nonviolent civil disobedience, rooted in his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi, catalyzed the civil rights movement.

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon,” King proclaimed. “It is a sword that heals.” 

On August 28, 1963, King delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. The prophetic call for racial equality and an end to discrimination galvanized support for the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibited racial segregation in schools, workplaces and public accommodations.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” King thundered to over 250,000 passionate supporters.

King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent leadership. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, where he championed striking sanitation workers’ rights. Though his life was cut short at 39, King’s soaring oratory and moral courage awakened America’s conscience.

A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979): The Trailblazing Labor Leader

Philip Randolph was born on April 15, 1889, to a tailor and minister who instilled strong values. After graduating valedictorian from Florida’s only Black academic high school in 1907, he moved to New York City, convinced collective action could overcome racism. 

In 1925, Randolph organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first successful African-American labor union determined to make it the best in the nation. Even after a 12-year fight, the union won higher pay and better conditions for Pullman porters.

Randolph’s threat of a massive 1941 March on Washington forced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to ban discrimination in defense industries. His proposed 1947 march led President Harry Truman to desegregate the military in 1948.

“No individual did more,” exclaimed Bayard Rustin.

This statement was made by Bayard Rustin when Randolph served as a strategist of the 1963 March on Washington as he inspired Martin Luther King Jr. and countless others. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, Randolph championed economic justice until his death.

Dr. Dorothy Height (1912-2010): “The Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement”

After fighting tirelessly for the rights of Black Americans and women of all races for nearly a century with barely any credit—today, Dorothy Height has a voice.

“I hope not to work this hard all the rest of my life,” Dorothy Height once remarked. “But whether it is the council, whether it is somewhere else, for the rest of my life, I will be working for equality, for justice, to eliminate racism, to build a better life for our families and our children.” These powerful words encapsulated the unwavering determination that defined Height’s remarkable life.

Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1912, Height moved to a Pittsburgh suburb at age 5, where she attended racially integrated schools. Denied entry to Barnard College due to its policy against accepting more than two Black students per year, Height’s resilience shone through as she pursued education at New York University, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

As president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, Height lobbied for anti-lynching laws and desegregation of the workforce. Her efforts helped pass the 1963 Equal Pay Act aimed at ensuring equal wages for equal work regardless of sex.

Height was a prominent civil rights leader who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders of the movement. King once referred to her as “that lady who always had a hat on.”

Bayard Rustin (1912-1987): “The Socrates of the Civil Rights Movement”

“Rustin was a strategist, an activist, a key figure in the civil rights movement, yet many don’t know his name,” says Evante Daniels, author of Power, Beats, and Rhymes: Reclaiming our Cultural Voice. “Why? Because he was an openly gay man in a time when this was taboo, even within the movements he helped shape.”

Bayard Rustin dedicated over five decades to strategizing and activism for human rights and economic equality. 

Born in 1912 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Rustin was a gifted student, athlete and musician in his youth. Though never completing a bachelor’s degree, he attended Wilberforce University, Cheyney State College and the City College of New York, funding tuition through odd jobs and singing.

Rustin went on to become a key strategist and organizer behind the 1963 March on Washington, which helped secure passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. As an openly gay man, he also advocated against LGBTQ discrimination in employment decades before it became a national issue.

Bayard Rustin was a brilliant theorist, tactician and organizer who served the trade union and civil rights movements. He was a key strategist behind the 1963 March on Washington and championed economic rights and workplace protections for marginalized groups. As an openly gay man, he advocated against discrimination based on sexual orientation decades before LGBTQ workplace equality became a national issue.

“We need in every community a group of angelic troublemakers,” Rustin said of the civil rights movement’s tactics.

As chief organizer of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, he was instrumental in drawing over 200,000 people to the nation’s capital. 

Pauli Murray

A trailblazing legal scholar, activist, author and priest, Pauli Murray built a remarkable career fighting for workplace civil rights. Murray’s legal theories and scholarship laid the intellectual groundwork to challenge discrimination far beyond race to impact workplace rights. Yet she remains lesser known than her more visible contemporaries.

Having endured rejection from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill due solely to her race, Murray channeled her frustration into a lifetime of battling the unjust barriers preventing access to careers and economic mobility. She advocated for dismantling discriminatory practices in education, housing, transportation and—by extension—employment.

Long before the term “intersectionality” was coined, Murray was highlighting the interconnectedness between racial discrimination and gender discrimination. She argued that both had to be addressed simultaneously to achieve equality in the workplace. Her 1965 work “Jane Crow and the Law” made the case that workplace protections under the Civil Rights Act should include women as well as minorities.

Murray also collaborated with groups like the National Council of Negro Women. She worked on programs promoting economic security and leadership development for Black women through training and advocacy. She also co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966 to connect women’s rights to civil rights.

​​While often overlooked historically, Murray’s groundbreaking ideas and principled efforts established critical foundations for more equitable workplaces. She serves as a reminder that achieving justice requires uplifting overlooked voices.

Crystal Bird Fauset (1894-1965): “The Pioneering Legislator”

Crystal Bird Fauset was born on June 27, 1894, in Princess Anne, Maryland. After graduating from Boston Normal School, Fauset was a public school teacher from 1914 to 1918.

In 1918 she began working as a field secretary for African American girls in the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), a job she held until 1926. In 1925 the Interracial Section of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC or Quakers) was formed, and Fauset joined the organization in 1926.

 In 1938, Crystal Bird Fauset shattered barriers when she became the first African American woman elected to a state legislature, winning a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Her trailblazing election opened new avenues of political representation and power for marginalized groups—indirectly spurring progress around workplace rights.

As a representative, Fauset leveraged her platform to sponsor legislation specifically targeting employment discrimination based on race and gender. 

“We must fight for the rights of all people to obtain employment regardless of race or color,” she declared. 

Fauset introduced nine bills to mandate non-discrimination in hiring, wages and advancement opportunities.

Beyond policy measures, Fauset’s professional advocacy complemented her political goals. As head of Philadelphia’s Works Progress Administration (WPA), she succeeded in eliminating a racial quota system restricting Black women from certain sewing jobs. 

Her visionary leadership opened doors for generations of women of color to participate in politics and demand workplace equality. She remains an inspiration to those continuing the fight today. “The path is not easy, but the reward is great for those who persevere,” claimed Fauset.

Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993): “The Trailblazing Legal Strategist”

Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland. His unwavering commitment to racial justice emerged from an early age influenced by his father’s advice.

“Stand up for your beliefs.” 

Marshall made history as chief counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund from 1940-1961. He meticulously crafted legal strategies that challenged segregation’s underpinnings, culminating in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954 which deemed racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. 

Appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967, Marshall became the first African American justice. His jurisprudence set vital precedents contesting injustice across sectors from transportation to public service. 

Marshall’s pioneering legal work laid the groundwork for the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s workplace protections against discrimination. His conviction and judicial mastery inched open the door to a more equitable America. 

Still More to Do

More than a half-century after landmark anti-discrimination laws, systemic barriers regrettably still persist in denying marginalized groups access to the same professional opportunities as their white, male counterparts. Pay inequities, discriminatory hiring practices and lack of career advancement pathways remain harsh realities in 2024.

The torch of equality has been passed to a new generation. While progress has been made, the final battle for true workplace parity has yet to be won.

Hope for tomorrow.

The inspiring legacies of these civil rights pioneers call on us to continue pushing forward with the same moral conviction and perseverance they embodied.

Only through sustained, collective action can we honor their sacrifices and achieve the nation’s promised ideal – equality and justice for all.

DEI Insights

While these pioneers produced hard-fought progress around workplace rights, substantial inequities remain deeply entrenched for Black Americans in the workplace. 

Black women today are still paid just 64% of what white men earn on average—causing income losses estimated at nearly $1 million over a 40-year career. Additionally, stunning underrepresentation persists in executive suites, with Black CEOs leading only 1.6% of Fortune 500 companies as of 2024. And at the moment, not a single Black woman holds the top spot at these major corporations.

No single victory will erase centuries of injustice overnight. But through collective action, we can inch ever closer to the goal of dignity, justice and fair treatment for all.

For a comprehensive list of DEI talent acquisition tools and more to help your hiring efforts, visit our marketplace today.