Considered one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s crowning moments in building racial equality, he was accompanied by Annie Lee Cooper, without whose tireless efforts many Black Americans might not have the right to vote today.
When Annie Lee Cooper was waiting in line to cast her ballot outside the Selma Dallas County courthouse in January 1965, a police officer approached her and tried to stop her from performing her civic duty. Cooper is notorious for punching the cop in the face after he prodded her in the neck with his baton.
Despite being mostly absent from the typical American classroom, Cooper gained some notoriety when Selma, the Academy Award–winning film that featured her tale, was released in 2014. Only four years had passed since her death at the age of 100 when the movie came out, and none other than Oprah Winfrey brought her story to life.
This is the real-life story of activist, revolutionary, and champion of voting rights Annie Lee Cooper.
Annie Lee Cooper’s Childhood In Jim Crow America
Cooper, an only child of Lucy Jones and Charles Wilkerson Sr., was born Annie Lee Wilkerson in Selma, Alabama, on June 2, 1910. Cooper completed the seventh grade of school before quitting and moving in with one of her sisters in Kentucky. She later relocated to Pennsylvania.
Cooper was born during a perilous juncture in American history. No matter their socioeconomic standing, Black men and women were unable to vote in 1901 under the recently enacted Alabama constitution.
Legal experts concur now that the main aim of this constitution was to formalize white dominance in the state. However, white Alabamans at the time mostly accepted its conditions.
Cooper discovered that there were states where Black people could vote despite growing up in a state where they couldn’t. Cooper became motivated by this difference and set out on a quest to the voting booth.
Becoming A Civil Rights Activist
To take care of her elderly mother, Annie Lee Cooper traveled back to Selma, Alabama, in 1962. However, when she arrived, she discovered that Black men and women continued to be denied the right to vote.
In order to mobilize Black men and women to petition for voting rights, American civil rights activist Bernard Lafayette and his wife Colia Liddell arrived in Alabama about the same time. The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which the newlyweds were representing, appealed to young Cooper right away.
Cooper would repeatedly recount how, in order to register to vote in Alabama, she had to take a “voting test,” a Jim Crow-era literacy test that was impossible to pass. However, she consistently failed the test, as was planned by the system each time.
“Once, I was in line starting at 7 a.m. but never managed to register,” she claimed.
Therefore, Annie Lee Cooper joined the SNCC in 1963, armed with the activist experience she had garnered through working with the Dallas County Voter’s League. Her day job dismissed her when they learned about her new activism.
Cooper, unfazed, took a position as a clerk at a motel. She subsequently joined the growing civil rights movement as an official member. The movement, which was characterized by nonviolent protest and nonviolent marches, was founded in large part to combat the dangers of white supremacy in the American South.
When Annie Lee Cooper attempted to register to vote in Selma, Alabama once more in January 1965, she earned her place in American history.
But white Sheriff Jim Clark stopped her when she arrived at the polling place. It would turn out to be among the Sheriff’s biggest errors of judgment.
Cooper, unfazed, took a position as a clerk at a motel. She subsequently joined the growing civil rights movement as an official member. The movement, which was characterized by nonviolent protest and nonviolent marches, was founded in large part to combat the dangers of white supremacy in the American South.
When Annie Lee Cooper attempted to register to vote in Selma, Alabama once more in January 1965, she earned her place in American history.
But white Sheriff Jim Clark stopped her when she arrived at the polling place. It would turn out to be among the Sheriff’s biggest errors of judgment.
Punching Sheriff Jim Clark
James Gardner Clark Jr., the sheriff of Dallas County, Alabama, has a track record for being a rough individual. He enlisted the Ku Klux Klan to prevent Black Alabamans from casting ballots, beat and detained peaceful protesters with great violence, and even stabbed Black people with cattle prods.
He was praised for his “publicity services delivered” after The Washington Post released pictures of Clark assaulting civil rights activist Amelia Boynton.
When Clark ultimately passed away in 2007, The Washington Post’s obituary almost seemed to celebrate his passing due to his abhorrent actions. “Mr. The story stated that Clark “seemed to relish confrontation.” “He at least struck C.T., an organizer. He then claimed he did not remember punching Vivian in the face, although an X-ray revealed a linear fracture in a finger on his left hand.
But when Clark prodded Cooper’s neck with his billy club in January 1965, presumably as a prelude to something worse, he received a taste of his own medicine. In response, Cooper gave him what is now jokingly referred to as a “two-piece and a biscuit.”
She recalled, “I was just standing there when his deputies told a man with us to move and when he didn’t, they tried to kick him.” “That’s when Clark and I started arguing. I make an effort to act nonviolently, but I can’t say I wouldn’t act the same way again if they treated me harshly like they did this time.
Cooper was detained for clocking Sheriff Clark, probably in accordance with the law. But she was almost immediately released after Clark threatened to beat her while she was in custody.
It wasn’t in vain that she confronted him. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was eventually approved shortly after, thanks to the tireless efforts of Cooper, her contemporaries, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Annie Lee Cooper’s Death At 100
In her final years, Cooper lived a very calm and laid-back life in Selma, where her hometown named a roadway Annie Cooper Avenue in honor of her commitment to the civil rights fight on the occasion of her 100th birthday.
Her loving mother had lived to be 106, so according to her relatives, Cooper planned to live many longer.
Sadly, Annie Lee Cooper passed away on November 24, 2010, at the Selma, Alabama, Vaughan Regional Medical Center. Although she didn’t survive very long after turning 100, her impact on American history will never be forgotten.
ILOVEYOU Virus, the worst computer virus of all time
The ILOVEYOU Virus, also known as Love Letter for You or Love Bug, had a high infection rate due to its ability to spread itself by copying entries from users' email address books. It is a virus that was created in 2000 by a college student in Manilla, Philippines, and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the worst computer virus of all time, causing more damage than anything before it.
Billy Ray Harris: A Story of Kindness and Honesty
In 2013, a homeless man named Billy Ray Harris discovered a $4,000 engagement ring in this cup. A woman had dropped while giving him some change. He returned the ring to her two days later. To thank him for his honesty, she set up a fund with the goal of raising $4,000 for him. It earned more than $185,000.
Hyperinflation of the Zimbabwe dollar turning phasing out their local money in 2015
Hyperinflation of the Zimbabwe dollar made it one of the lowest valued currencies in the world. So the country abandoned it in 2009, and switched to using foreign money. In 2015, to complete the process of phasing out their local money, the government offered to exchange it at a rate of one US dollar for 35 quadrillion Zimbabwean dollars.
The beauty and uniqueness of Fukang Meteorite
This Fukang meteorite is around 4.5 billion years old and weighs more than 2,000 pounds. It was discovered in China in 2014 and is assumed to have formed when our solar system initially formed.
JBJ Soul Kitchen: Bon Jovi's community restaurant
JBJ Soul Kitchen is a community restaurant by Jon Bon Jovi with no prices on the menu; customers donate to pay for their meals. If you are unable to donate you may do volunteer work in exchange for your family’s meal.
New York installs first offshore wind turbine to power 70,000 homes
New York State has achieved a historic milestone in its clean energy transition by installing the first wind turbine at its first offshore wind farm, South Fork Win.
24-year-old burglar beaten by retired boxer victim
A 24-year-old knife-wielding burglar attempted to get into the home of a 72-year-old senior in Oxford, England, in 2009, but was left battered, bruised, and pinned to the ground. Frank Corti, the elderly, turned out to be a former boxing champion.
Elvita Adams jumps from the Empire State Building and amazingly survived
Elvita Adams once tried to commit suicide by jumping off the empire state building. She Jumped from the 86th floor but was blown back to 85th floor by a strong gust of wind.
The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
Located in Belize, there is a cave where the remnants of ancient Maya human sacrifices can be witnessed. However, reaching the back of the cave system requires swimming, wading through a cave river, and crawling through narrow, uneven rocky passages in darkness. Once there, visitors can walk among the numerous corpses of sacrifice victims, including The Crystal Maiden, an 18-year-old whose skeleton has become calcified to the point of sparkling.
Passenger with No Flying Experience Lands Plane in Florida: A Real-Life Aviation Miracle
A passenger with no flying experience landed a twin-engine plane in Florida after the pilot died mid-flight. With guidance from air traffic control, he safely touched down—a real-life aviation miracle caught on radar and radio.
Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer
In 2013, A young programmer offered a homeless man the choice between $100 cash or coding lessons. Leo Grand chose the lessons, and his first mobile app was “Trees for Cars," which helps drivers find carpooling partners.
How Magic Johnson Missed Out On $7 Billion Nike deal
Magic Johnson turned down a deal with Nike in 1979 that offered him 100,000 shares of stock and $1 for every pair of shoes sold. Instead, he chose Converse, which offered him $100,000 per year. Johnson lost about $5 billion by declining the Nike deal.
A woman who had been lost since she was a newborn 51 years ago was said to have been spotted
A woman who had been lost since she was a newborn for 51 years was reported to have been sighted.
This whale tail sculpture saved a train that went off the rails
A train in the Netherlands failed to stop in time and broke through the emergency barrier. It's being held up by the statue of a whale's tail.
Australian man dies, comes back to life, and wins the lottery twice
Bill Morgan, an Australian, is a man who has beat the odds. He escaped death by surviving a horrific automobile accident and heart attack before collapsing into a coma and going on to win the lotto twice. He went from losing virtually everything to winning far more than he could have imagined.
A U.S. Submarine Collides with a Japanese Fishing Ship in 2001
In 1998, 14-year-old Michael Crowe was charged with the murder of his sister. The police started targeting him after he seemed “distant and preoccupied” when his sister’s body was discovered, and during interrogation, police coercion led him to make a false confession. He was later declared factually innocent and the family won a lawsuit of $7.25 million in 2011.
Croatian teenager wakes up from coma speaking fluent in German In 2010
In 2010, a Croatian teenager awoke from a coma to discover she could no longer speak Croatian but was fluent in German, a language she had just recently begun studying at school in the United Kingdom. reports in the press
Troy Leon Gregg: the death row inmate murdered the same night he escaped
In July 1980, Troy Leon Gregg escaped from Georgia State Prison the night before his execution. However, he was killed in a fight in a bar just a few hours later.
stranded hikers rescued by a life-saving iPhone feature
Stranded hikers were rescued by a life-saving iPhone feature that an awful lot of folks don't know a lot about.
The incredible story of a plane that lost its roof in mid-flight and the light signal that saved 94 lives.
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane.
A flight attendant uses a secret note to save a teen girl from sex trafficking
The flight attendant Shelia Fredrick. She spotted a distressed girl with an older man. She left a note in the restroom on which the victim wrote that she needed some help. The girl was rescued from a human trafficker after the authorities were informed.
The actions of a 7-year-old girl protected her mother from bullets
A 7-year-old girl jumped in front of her mother to save her from a man who was attempting to kill her in 2007. She was shot six times and survived, as well as saving her mother.
How hero parrot saved little girl who was choking on her breakfast
In 2008 Quaker parrot Willie alerted his owner Megan Howard when the little girl she was babysitting began to choke. Howard was in the bathroom when the parrot repeatedly yelled "Mama! Baby!" flapping his wings. Megan rushed and performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving her life. Willie received the Red Cross Animal Lifesaver Award.
Man's Blood Helped Save Millions of Babies
Australian blood donor James Harrison has been one of our most impressive and valued donors, having donated for 60 years. Know his story, how he was a pioneer of our Anti-D program, and why this matters.
Kipekee, the world's only spotless giraffe, was born at Brights Zoo
The world's only spotless giraffe was born at a zoo in the United States. The giraffe born without spots on July 31 is the only one of her kind on Earth.
