Amelia Boynton Robinson was an American activist who was a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama and a key figure in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. She was also the first black woman to run for Congress in Alabama.
Robinson began her interest in activism at nine years old when going with her mother in a horse-and-buggy to hand out leaflets for the Women’s Suffrage Movement.
From the 1930’s Robinson and her first husband S.W. Boynton (Robinson is the name taken from her third husband) fought for voting rights and property ownership for African Americans in the poorest rural areas of Alabama. Robinson worked as a home demonstration agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, teaching farming and homemaking skills in remote farming communities and homes. In 1932 Robinson became a registered voter, one one of the first Alabama African Americans not stopped by the tests held to prevent African Americans from voting. In 1933 Robinson and the Rev. Frederick Reece established the Dallas County Voters League in 1933 to help excluded citizens become voters.
During the 1960s, Robinson invited fellow civil rights activists Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr to join her battle for suffrage for African Americans. The kings, along with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference came to Selma to help promote the cause and Robinson’s home and office became the national headquarters of Selma’s civil rights battles. They planned the Selma to Montgomery March of March 7, 1965, this would ultimately lead to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
600 protesters participated in the event, now known as “Bloody Sunday.” On the Edmund Pettus Bridge, over the Alabama River in Selma, marchers were attacked by policemen with tear gas and billy clubs. 17 protesters were sent to the hospital, including Robinson, who had been gassed, beaten, and left for dead. A newspaper photo of Robinson lying bloody and beaten drew national attention to the cause. Bloody Sunday prompted President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965, with Robinson attending as the landmark event’s guest of honour.
In 1964, Robinson was the first female African American ever to seek a seat in Congress from Alabama, hoping to encourage black registration and voting. She had also lead African-American voter registration drives in Selma through the 30’s to 50’s. She was also the first woman to run on the Democratic ticket in the state.
Robinson was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Medal on July 21, 1990, honouring her lifelong commitment to human and civil rights.