Dorothy Cotton facts for kids

Dorothy Cotton (born June 9, 1930 – died June 10, 2018) was an important civil rights activist from the United States. She was a key leader in the Civil Rights Movement and a close member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). As the SCLC's Education Director, she was one of the highest-ranking women in the organization.

Dorothy Cotton's Early Life and School

Dorothy Lee Foreman was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, on June 9, 1930. Her mother passed away when Dorothy was only three years old. This meant her father, Claude Foreman, raised Dorothy and her three sisters. He worked hard in a tobacco factory and steel mill.

Life was tough for Dorothy and her sisters growing up. Their father struggled to raise them in a segregated town in the South. Dorothy later said she didn't remember much warmth in her home.

How Teachers Helped Dorothy

When Dorothy was in high school, she met Rosa Gray, an English teacher. Ms. Gray made a big positive difference in Dorothy's life. She encouraged Dorothy to be strong and successful. Ms. Gray often cast Dorothy in the main roles of the school plays. Dorothy felt a special connection to her teacher.

Ms. Gray helped Dorothy get into Shaw University. There, Dorothy studied English. She also worked two part-time jobs on campus to help pay her way. She worked in the cafeteria and cleaned a teacher's dormitory.

College and Marriage

Later, one of her teachers from Shaw, Dr. Daniel, became the President of Virginia State University. Dorothy went with him and worked as his housekeeper. She described her job as "part daughter, part housekeeper."

At Virginia State, Dorothy met Horace Sims. He introduced her to George Cotton. Dorothy married George right after she graduated. She then earned a master's degree in Speech Therapy from Boston University in 1960. While in Petersburg, Dorothy joined a local church. This church was led by Wyatt T. Walker, and it was where her journey in civil rights began.

Dorothy Cotton's Civil Rights Work

Dorothy Cotton became very involved with the Civil Rights Movement. She remembered an experience that made her angry and showed her "the wrongness of the system." This feeling helped shape her dedication to the movement.

Joining the Movement

While at Virginia State University, Dorothy joined Wyatt T. Walker's church. Walker was a leader for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the area. Dorothy felt drawn to the church because it was so involved in the movement.

Walker asked Dorothy to help organize and train children for peaceful protests called picketing campaigns. Her job was to teach them how to protest and march correctly. She helped Walker protest segregation at the library and lunch counters. She also taught students how to use direct action tactics.

Meeting Martin Luther King Jr.

Soon after Dorothy joined, Martin Luther King Jr. was invited to speak at the church. Dorothy also read a poem during the program. King was interested in her and spoke with her later.

While in Petersburg, King asked Walker to move to Atlanta. King wanted Walker to help him start the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Walker agreed, but only if he could bring two close friends: Jim Wood and Dorothy Cotton. Dorothy decided to go, planning to stay for only three months. She ended up staying for 23 years! During those years, she made huge contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.

When Dorothy first arrived in Atlanta, she was Walker's assistant. Soon, King asked her to help at the Highlander Folk School. This school was getting a lot of bad attention. At Highlander, Dorothy met Septima Clark. They worked together on a very important project called the Citizenship Education Program.

The Citizenship Education Program

Dorothy Cotton's work with the movement was a huge part of her life. She felt it was her duty. In her autobiography, she wrote that her work with the SCLC was "not just a job, it was a life commitment."

Perhaps her biggest achievement was the Citizenship Education Program. This program helped Black Americans register to vote. Dorothy worked closely with Septima Clark and Esau Jenkins. They created a movement in rural Southern areas during the challenging 1960s Civil Rights Era.

How the Program Started

Esau Jenkins was one of the first people involved in the program. He was a businessman with only a third-grade education, but he was very smart. Jenkins drove a private bus from the coastal islands of South Carolina to the mainland. He took islanders to their jobs.

During these bus rides, Esau would talk to his passengers. He spoke about how important their right to vote was. Esau saw that people needed educational programs. These programs would teach them about their political and civil rights. The goal was to encourage African-American communities to take action for change. These informal talks helped find the first people for the Citizenship Education Program.

What the Program Taught

The Citizenship Education Program mainly taught people how to register to vote. It also focused on helping communities and individuals feel stronger. Many Southern states had voting laws that used literacy tests. These tests were designed to stop African-Americans from voting. For example, people might have to recite parts of the Constitution or sign their name in cursive. Many officials giving these tests were not educated themselves, making the process unfair. Many Black Americans were turned away.

The program wanted to show people that their right to vote was very important. It also taught them how to deal with everyday needs. Another hope was that the program would spread. Community members would become teachers themselves.

The goal was for these programs to be set up in communities across the South and eventually the whole United States. A brochure for the program clearly stated its goal: "Their immediate program is teaching reading and writing. They help students to pass literacy tests for voting." These programs also paid for tuition, training, and even travel costs. The Citizenship Education Program helped thousands of Black Americans register to vote over several years. More than 6,000 men and women took part in its workshops and classes.

Other Important Contributions

Dorothy Cotton helped James Bevel organize students during the Birmingham campaign. This included the Children's Crusade in 1963. She also taught citizenship classes all over the South.

She even went with Martin Luther King Jr. to Oslo, Norway. King received the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize there. Dorothy Cotton was interviewed for the Oral Histories of the Civil Rights History Project. This project was done by the University of North Carolina.

Dorothy Cotton's Legacy

Dorothy Cotton was a talented singer. She often led Negro spirituals at rallies and in classes. A musical group, the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers, now sings in her honor. The group works to "preserve the uniquely American art form of the formal concert style 'Negro Spiritual.'"

Dorothy Cotton's Death

Dorothy Cotton passed away on June 10, 2018. This was just one day after her 88th birthday.

See also

In Spanish: Dorothy Cotton para niños

• List of civil rights leaders