Reverend C. T. Vivian embodied the values that made the Black Freedom Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s revolutionary and inspiring: courage, commitment, sacrifice, and strategy.

Rev. Vivian first became involved in the movement through sit ins. He participated in a successful sit-in in Peoria, IL in 1947. As a ministry student in Nashville when he helped organize a three-month sit in campaign of Nashville’s lunch counters.

Vivian continued to be a force in the Civil Rights Movement, advising Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., overseeing Southern Christian Leadership Conference chapters, undergoing arrest and imprisonment as a Freedom Rider, organizing protests and voter registration drives, and more.

Vivian maintained his convictions in the face of racist systems and police brutality. In Selma, he delivered a legendary address outside a courthouse to Sheriff Jim Clark, who was barring Black people from registering to vote. Clark punched Vivian in the face as cameras rolled.

Later in life, he founded the C. T. Vivian Leadership Institute, seeking to pass on lessons to the next generation of national leaders. In 2013, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“Vivian’s legacy lives on and inspires us toward a more just and compassionate future,” reflected Chris Wilson, director of Experience Design and the museum’s African American History Program.
: @NMAAHC