Professor and musician Roslyn Pope passed away. In 1960, she wrote “An Appeal for Human Rights,” which outlined the motivations behind the Atlanta Student Movement against systemic racism. She was 84.
Roslyn Pope Cause Of Death
According to her family’s obituary, Pope passed away on January 18 in Arlington, Texas, where she had relocated from Atlanta to be with her daughters as her health started to deteriorate in 2021.
A nonviolent campaign of boycotts and sit-ins by Black college students protesting discrimination not only in voting but also in education, employment, housing, hospitals, movies, concerts, restaurants, and law enforcement was launched by the document Pope wrote as a 21-year-old senior at Spelman College.
About Her
The Appeal stated, “We do not plan to wait placidly for those rights, which are already ours in law and in morality, to be meted out to us one at a time. “We intend to obtain full citizenship rights as members of this great Democracy of ours by any legal and peaceful means available to us.”
White-owned newspapers in Atlanta refused to publish it, and segregationist officials in Georgia attempted to brush it off by claiming it couldn’t possible be the product of college students. However, it was published on a full page in The New York Times and numerous other American publications. It was recorded in the Congressional Record as evidence of how segregation hindered people from residing in society with equality and dignity.
According to Black, Pope demonstrated that change doesn’t require “big guys” like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and that a small group of motivated individuals may have a significant impact. “Everyone knew what we were trying to do because of her remarks, and that’s why we received such broad, community-wide support,” she said.
Early Life
Pope, who was born in Atlanta on October 29, 1938, stood out from a young age. She was sent as Georgia’s representative to a national camp in Cody, Wyoming, which no Black Scout had ever attended. She was a member of an all-Black Girl Scout troop.
At both her segregated Booker T. Washington high school and college, Pope was voted president of the student body. A performance with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and a Merrill scholarship to study music during her junior year in Paris were both influenced by the pianist’s keyboard skills at Friendship Baptist Church.
After growing up in a culture where racial restrictions controlled her every move, she told the AP that the experience had changed her life.
FAQ’s
1. Who was Roslyn Pope?
A. She was an popular author
2. What was her profession?
A. Author
3. How old was Roslyn Pope?
A. 84 years old
4. What happened to Roslyn Pope?
A. She died
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