For the sake of conversational balance and knowledge, let's dig a little deeper into the civil rights movement and a few of its tether immigrant activists, influences and influencers.
* if any of the information presented is factually incorrect, please feel free to correct with sources.
Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) (1941–1998)
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Ture immigrated to the U.S. as a child and became a prominent leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He was a key figure in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and popularized the term "Black Power."
Grace Lee Boggs (1915–2015)
Born to Chinese immigrant parents, Boggs became an influential philosopher, writer, and activist in Detroit. She worked alongside African American activists for labor rights, civil rights, and Black Power.
A. Philip Randolph (1889–1979)
Although born in the U.S., Randolph's work in the labor and civil rights movements was significantly influenced by Caribbean immigrants in Harlem, such as Marcus Garvey. He founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and organized the 1941 March on Washington movement.
Bayard Rustin (1912–1987)
Though born in the U.S., Rustin was deeply influenced by Gandhian principles of nonviolence, introduced to him by Indian immigrant and Quaker intellectual Krishnalal Shridharani, who played a key role in shaping his activism during the Civil Rights Movement.
Claudia Jones (1915–1964)
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Jones moved to the U.S. as a child and became a journalist and activist. Though more closely associated with communist movements, her work intersected with civil rights and Black liberation efforts.
Thurgood Marshall's Influencers
Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice, was deeply inspired by the Pan-African ideas of Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant who influenced Black consciousness and civil rights activism in the U.S.
Malcolm X's Parents (Earl and Louise Little)
While Malcolm X himself was born in the U.S., his mother, Louise Norton Little, was born in Grenada. His parents' Garveyite activism significantly shaped Malcolm X's views on civil rights and Black nationalism.
Paul Robeson (1898–1976)
Born in the U.S., Robeson was deeply influenced by immigrant anti-colonial leaders and movements globally. He built bridges between the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and international struggles for racial and social justice.
Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972)
A Polish-born Jewish theologian and scholar, Heschel was a key ally of Martin Luther King Jr. and marched with him in Selma. He emphasized the moral and spiritual dimensions of civil rights.
Carlos Bulosan (1913–1956)
A Filipino-American labor activist and writer, Bulosan highlighted the struggles of marginalized communities, particularly farmworkers, whose experiences overlapped with the civil rights struggles of African Americans.
Marcus Garvey (1887–1940)
Though his primary focus was on Pan-Africanism, Garvey's ideas and activism laid the groundwork for Black empowerment movements in the U.S., influencing many leaders in the Civil Rights Movement.
C.L.R. James (1901–1989)
A Trinidadian historian, writer, and intellectual, James’s ideas on anti-colonialism and racial justice informed many movements for equality, including civil rights in the U.S.
Hubert Harrison (1883–1927)
A St. Croix-born intellectual and activist, Harrison is often called the "Father of Harlem Radicalism." His advocacy for racial and social justice inspired many later civil rights leaders.
Harry Belafonte (1927–2023)
The American-born son of Jamaican immigrants, Belafonte was a major supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, using his celebrity to fund initiatives and support leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
Sidney Poitier (1927–2022)
Born in the Bahamas and later naturalized as a U.S. citizen, Poitier broke racial barriers in Hollywood and became an advocate for civil rights through his work and philanthropy.
There are more examples. but I will stop here.
If you have made it to the end of my list, I hope this will highlight the interconnectedness of global and domestic struggles for justice, with immigrants and their ideas playing a vital role in shaping the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. By integrating global perspectives, the movement became more powerful and transformative.