REVEREND ELTON COX : HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA : CIVIL RIGHTS: INTEGRATION 1964

Description: This vintage press photo features an African American clergyman named Reverend Elton Cox (1931-2011). He was photographed while joking with some neighborhood children who appear to be going to, or returning from school. Reverend Cox is in the neighborhood for a reason. The community is segregated. There is a wire fence dividing the white area from the black area. The caption on the reverse of the photograph points out that the houses on each side of the fence are basically the same. The fence is an unnatural boundary. Reverend Cox is determined to find a way for the Black and White residents in the community to integrate. He had a tough battle ahead of him to reach that goal. Racism, unrealistic fear, and unfair discriminatory laws all stood in the way. It is now nearly 60 years after this photograph was taken. I wonder whether the neighborhood is integrated today. Most would hope so. This photograph was taken in 1964 by a United Press International (UPI) photographer. The photograph measures 7 x 9 inches and is in good condition (see scans).....Elton Cox was a civil rights movement activist and preacher. He was part of the Freedom Riders protest in 1961 and interviewed in the documentary about it. He was nicknamed "Beltin" Elton". He grew up in Kankakee, Illinois. He had to take a break from high school to work to help support his family. He graduated high school at age 20 and went on to Livingston College in Salisbury, North Carolina. Next he studied for a Divinity degree at Howard University. He was ordained in 1958. He became a pastor at the Pilgrim Congregational Church in High Point. He quickly went to work to support the civil rights movement. His work included starting desegregation efforts at local schools. Cox had strong beliefs in non-violence. James Farmer, then of the NAACP, hired Cox to help push for civil rights in the south. He worked with students and organized non-violent sit-ins. Despite his non-violent approach, Cox was arrested seventeen times over the decades. One arrest, in Louisiana for "disturbing the peace" resulted in a conviction that was appealed all the way to the US Supreme Court where his conviction was overturned. Later in life, Cox returned to High Point to work as a Minister. Next, he worked as a chaplain at a VA hospital in Illinois. His final position was working as a school counselor in Jackson, Tennessee. Elton Cox is one of many unsung heroes of the civil rights movement.

Price: 75 USD

Location: Northport, New York

End Time: 2025-01-28T18:37:00.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3.85 USD