the purpose of the montgomery improvement association was voting rights.
the purpose of the montgomery improvement association was voting rights.
what was the purpose of the montgomery improvement association?
voting rights
aurelia browder was arrested on april 19, 1955, almost eight months before the arrest of rosa parks and a month after the arrest of claudette colvin, for sitting in the white section of a public city bus in montgomery, alabama. she was convicted and fined for her alleged crime. on february 1, 1956, fred gray (the attorney for the montgomery improvement association) and robert l. carter of the naacp legal defense fund filed a lawsuit in the u.s. district court on behalf of five black women who had been the victims of discrimination on local buses. w.a. gayle, the mayor of montgomery, was the defendant. the montgomery improvement association had its sights set on ending segregation and was fueled by the montgomery bus boycott which was led primarily by jo ann gibson robinson. the boycott began on december 3, 1955, two days after rosa parks' arrest. the montgomery improvement association filed browder's case because it would be able to skip being heard in the local courts. rosa park's case would have had to go through local courts first, where the case might have stayed pending for years. by filing directly with the district courts, they would also be able to achieve an injunction against the segregation law at the same time.
aurelia browder
since no one knew what to expect, the empty buses were a complete surprise. the success of the boycott on december 5, and the excitement on the mass meeting on the evening of that day, removed any doubt about the strong motivation to continue the boycott. as king put it, "[t]he question of calling off the protest was now academic. the enthusiasm of these thousands of people swept everything along like an onrushing tidal wave." on the afternoon of december 5, the black leadership, consisting of civic and religious leaders of montgomery, established the montgomery improvement association. dr. martin luther king jr. was chosen to lead the mia at the age of 26, with ralph abernathy, jo ann robinson, e. d. nixon, rufus lewis and other prominent figures at his side.
montgomery improvement association