Then & Now: 50 Key Sites in the American Civil Rights Movement

The risks exercised by the activists of the Civil Rights Movement are almost unfathomable when you break it down. Had they lacked the courage to take action, they wouldn't have created a new world and forever influenced American culture.

Hip-hop has roots in the Movement, as the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the ghosts of the South can be heard in artists from Goodie Mob and Outkast to newcomers like Big K.R.I.T. The aggressive intelligence of Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party can be heard in defiant O.G.'s like Public Enemy and 'Pac, all the way to Kendrick Lamar and others. Because their courage allowed others to realize their vision and tell their stories, members of the Civil Rights Movement of all races, deserve to be remembered every day.

Everything associated with the Civil Rights Movement—the places, the people and their actions—are as relevant today as they were then. To highlight the magnitude of the movement, we've compiled side-by-side photos of significant locations (ordered chronologically), comparing how they looked then to how they appear now.

Complex presents Then and Now: 50 Key Sites of the African-American Civil Rights Movement.

Words by Julian Kimble (@JRK316).

Location: 2400 6th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Significance: Preparation for Brown v. Board of Education went down here

Howard University is famous for more than just Homecoming. Founded in 1867 and often regarded as the most notable Historically Black College and University (HBCU), Howard played a monumental role in American history and the Civil Rights Movement. Much of the preparation for Brown v. Board of Education took place on Howard's campus, specifically at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall, and Founders Library. Also, many of the lawyers who argued Brown v. Board of Education (such as future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and NAACP Litigation Director Charles Hamilton Houston) were Howard Law students or professors. A decade after the Brown decision, President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke to the graduating class of 1965, outlining his plans for civil rights legislation and bridging the economic gap between whites and blacks.

Today, Howard University maintains its status as the "Mecca" of black education. The school is part of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and holds the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education status of RU/H for high research activity. Furthermore, Rankin Chapel, Douglass Hall, and Founders Library were all added to the National Register of Historic Places. They were declared National Landmarks in 2001. Most importantly, all are still in use as educational facilities today.

Location: 1515 SE Monroe St., Topeka, Kan.
Significance: One of the schools at the heart of Brown v. Board of Education

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. The landmark decision stated that the segregation of schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment, and of the four segregated elementary schools for black children in Topeka, Monroe Elementary School was the newest. The school closed in 1975 due to declining enrollment, but remained privately owned for 15 years. In 1990, owner Mark A. Steuve announced his decision to auction the building off. The Brown Foundation swooped in, and the Trust for Public Land purchased Monroe in 1991. President George H.W. Bush signed legislation to make the school the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in October of 1992. In December of 1993, the title was transferred to the National Park Service.

Location: 900 West Bonanza Rd., Las Vegas
Significance: The first integrated hotel and casino in Las Vegas

Most casinos on the Vegas Strip didn't welcome blacks unless they were in entertainment or the service industry. That changed on May 24, 1955, when the Moulin Rouge opened. As the first integrated hotel/casino in the United States, the Moulin Rouge was a popular destination for black celebrities, who would often perform at other venues but stay there. Sadly, the promise of the Moulin Rouge was short-lived—it closed that November, filing for bankruptcy one month later. Still, a meeting was held at the closed hotel in 1960 following the threat of a march down the Vegas Strip to protest discrimination. A resolution was reached, desegregating all casinos on the strip. For its role in the Civil Rights Movement, the Moulin Rouge was added to the Register of National Historic Places in 1992. Fire damaged the building and a planned renovation was halted by another blaze. Plans to demolish the remains were approved in 2010. As of now, the bulldozers sit out front, a painful reminder of the building's fate.

Location: County Road 518 at County Road 24, Money, Miss.
Significance: Emmet Till was murdered because of what transpired here

On August 21, 1955, 14-year-old Chicago-native Emmet Till and his cousin, Curtis Jones, skipped church with a group of friends to buy candy from Bryant's Grocery & Meat Market in Money, Mississippi. The store was owned by 24-year-old Roy Bryant and his 21-year-old wife, Carolyn, who happened to be alone at the store that day. After Till showed the other boys a picture of a white girl he claimed was his girlfriend, they dared him to approach Bryant. Despite his mother's warning that Mississippi was nothing like Chicago, he proceeded, and what transpired continues to be debated to this day. It's possible that Till whistled at Bryant, as one publication revealed that he sometimes whistled to combat the stuttering he experienced after a bout of childhood polio (his mother, Mamie Till Bradley, explained that the letter "b" gave him extra trouble). Others claim that Till hit on Bryant, and she insisted that he grabbed her waist and inappropriately asked her out.

When Roy Bryant found out what happened, he and his brother-in-law, John William "J.W." Milan, kidnapped and beat Till severely before shooting him. They then used a 70-pound fan to weigh his body down in the Tallahatchie River. Three days after his abduction, two boys discovered his horribly disfigured body. At Till's funeral, his mother demanded that his casket remain open so the world could see what had happened to her son. The disturbing images were published in The Chicago Defender and Jet, gaining the attention of the NAACP and mobilizing the Civil Rights Movement. Currently, Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market is in poor condition due to years of neglect and damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. However, a historic marker recognizing the decaying building as part of the Mississippi Freedom Trail was added last spring for the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Ride.

Location: Court Square, Montgomery, Ala.
Significance: Rosa Parks boarded a bus here, and made history

On the evening of December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue Bus at Court Square, all the way at the end of Dexter Avenue in Montgomery. The first four rows of the city's buses were reserved for whites, the rear for "coloreds." After a long day of work at the Montgomery Fair department store, Parks sat in the front of the bus. Parks was no stranger to trouble on the city buses. In 1943, she had been left standing in the rain after an impatient driver left without her. Now, 12 years later, here was that same driver—James L. Blake—demanding that she and three other black passengers move to the back of the bus to make room for white passengers. Parks wouldn't budge. Her decision, an act of civil disobedience, led to her arrest. This moment triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which began the same day as her trial. The bus stop where Parks waited on that day in December can be found inside the Court Square Historic District, also part of the National Register of Historic Places. A historic marker with a message paying homage to Parks sits in front of the Central Bank Building, the exact spot where she helped set progress into motion.

Location: 3233 29th Ave. North, Birmingham, Ala.
Significance: Headquarters for the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights

Like many black churches in Birmingham and Montgomery, Bethel Baptist Church played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. From 1956 to 1961, the church served as the headquarters for the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR). The ACMHR is noted for taking nonviolent action against the segregation of transportation, education, and employment. Pastor Fred Shuttlesworth was responsible for organizing groups brave enough to aid Freedom Riders injured during an attack by angry protesters. The church was also bombed on three separate occasions: Christmas 1956; June 29, 1958; and December 14, 1962. For its role in the Civil Rights Movement and resilience over the years, the church was honored as a National Historic Landmark in 2005.

Location: 450 Auburn Ave., Atlanta
Significance: Southern Christian Leadership Conference began here

Both Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his father pastored at Atlanta's Ebeneezer Baptist Church. In January of 1957, with the Montgomery Bus Boycott still fresh on the minds of activists, Dr. King invited around 60 black ministers and leaders, including Ella Baker, Fred Shuttlesworth, and Ralph Abernathy, to the church. The task at hand was to create an organization that would achieve desegregation through nonviolent resistance. Through this meeting of the minds, the early groundwork was laid for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In present day Atlanta, Ebeneezer Baptist Church is one of several buildings surrounding King's boyhood home as part of the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site. The area joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

Location: 1500 South Park St., Little Rock, Ark.
Significance: Little Rock Nine attended school here, with a little help from the federal government

Though the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954 mandated the integration of public schools, nine black students were initially denied entry to Little Rock Central High School on the morning of September 23, 1957. Police were necessary to get the Little Rock Nine past the vicious mob waiting outside the school. Inside, violence reached a boiling point and the students were removed. The following day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent the 1,200-man 101st Airborne Battle Group of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division all the way from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to escort the students to school. This move also federalized the 10,000-man Arkansas National Guard, removing them from the control of segregation-supporting Governor Orval Farbus. This moment was a test of the nation's desire to enforce civil rights following the Brown verdict, and gave the battle between Eisenhower and Farbus a national stage.

The school, which was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, still operates out of the Little Rock School District. Over the past decade, it's been recognized as one of the top high school's in the county and has the oldest charter west of the Mississippi River in the Cum Laude Society. In 1997, President Clinton led a celebration for the 40th anniversary of its desegregation, and also hosted a ceremony a decade later on the 50th anniversary.

Location: 2648 West Grand Blvd., Detroit
Significance: Headquarters for Motown Records

Back in 1959, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy purchased this former photographer's studio in Detroit. Nicknamed "Hitsville U.S.A," the building became Motown's first official headquarters as the photography studio in the back was converted into a recording studio. The space also served as Motown's administrative building. Motown became the soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement, and one particular song became an anthem. Aside from being one of the signature Motown tracks, Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" inadvertently became a call for social change. Released as a single between the race riots in Harlem and Philadelphia and after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, the innocent track adopted a second meaning that became a call to action across the nation. Though Gordy relocated Motown Records to Los Angeles in 1972, the original building now serves as the Motown Historical Museum. West Grand Boulevard is known as Berry Gordy, Jr. Boulevard and Studio A, where "Dancing in the Street" was recorded, has been carefully preserved over the years.

Location: 132 South Elm St., Greensboro, N.C.
Significance: The Greensboro Four set off a chain-reaction of sit-ins here

On February 1, 1960, four North Carolina A&T students—Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr. (later known as Jibreel Khazan), and David Richmond—sat down at the lunch counter of the Woolworth's in Greensboro. The young men, whose actions would earn them the name "the Greensboro Four," ordered coffee at the "whites only" counter. The staff followed store policy and refused to serve them; the manager asked them to leave. In response, they stayed until the store was closed. More protesters joined the sit-in each day until it expanded to other cities in North Carolina, and then to Richmond, Virginia and Nashville, Tennessee. The chain reaction led to the desegregation of many lunch counters, and the actions of the original four even gained the sympathy of President Eisenhower. The Woolworth's in Greensboro now serves as the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, which opened on February 1, 2010 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original sit in. A section of the famous counter now resides at the Smithsonian in D.C.

Location: 118 East South St., Raleigh, N.C.
Significance: SNCC came together here

Founded in 1865, Shaw University is one of the oldest HBCUs. Nearly a century after its establishment, it played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1960, under the helping hand of Ella Baker, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was born on Shaw's campus. After working with both the NAACP and SCLC, and feeling motivated by the Greensboro sit-ins, Baker convinced the latter to invite students to the Southwide Youth Leadership Conference on Easter weekend. The conference was a success, producing SNCC. The organization would go on to be instrumental in the Freedom Rides of 1961, the March on Washington, Freedom Summer, and a fierce voting rights campaign that spanned the early-to-mid '60s. With a student body of 2,800, Shaw University is still going strong, and in April of 2010, the school hosted a conference to honor the 50th anniversary of the organization's foundation.

Location: 210 South Court St., Montgomery, Ala.
Significance: Arrival point in Alabama for Freedom Riders

The first Freedom Ride departed from Washington, D.C. on May 4, 1961, and was due to arrive in New Orleans on May 17. During the trip, the brave collection of black and white activists were met with violence as they traveled through hostile southern states. Attacks delayed the mission, but the ride resumed on May 20 as the bus barrelled down the highway towards Montgomery at 90 miles per hour, flanked by the Alabama State Highway Patrol. When they reached the city limits, the highway patrol abandoned the bus and the Freedom Riders were again attacked at the bus station by an angry mob, this time being beaten with baseball bats and iron pipes. Local police turned a blind eye to the violence, and white freedom riders were again targeted for uniquely brutal beatings. Ambulances refused to take the injured to the hospital, so courageous local blacks volunteered to take the wounded to seek medical attention. Though the building is no longer used as a bus station, it was saved from demolition and the Alabama Historical Commission now leases it. Last May, 50 years after the attack, the inside of the building was opened as a museum. The bus station was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Location: 347 North Ripley St., Montgomery, Ala.
Significance: Acted as a safe haven for Freedom Riders

As the name indicates, First Baptist Church was one of Montgomery's first black churches. Nearly a century later, it would beome one of the Civil Right's Movement's most important locations. Activist Ralph Abernathy served as pastor from 1952 to 1961, while his friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., presided over nearby Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. First Baptist served as a safe haven for Freedom Riders during the spring of 1961, and on May 21, the packed building was attacked by 3,000 angry whites who wanted to burn it to the ground. Bricks and tear gas were thrown through windows, prompting Dr. King to call Attorney General Robert Kennedy and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, to have the National Guard safely escort everyone from the church after having spent an uncomfortable night there. The church is recognized on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage by the Alabama Historical Commission.

Location: 7th Ave. and West 125th St., New York
Significance: Malcolm X and Fidel Castro connected here

Known as the "Waldorf Astoria of Harlem," the Hotel Theresa was a central location for black life in New York City during the middle of the 20th century. During the early 1960's, Malcolm X met Fidel Castro there while Castro was in town for an early United Nations session. In addition to meeting Cassius Clay there several times, X also organized his Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) there and held the meetings at the hotel. Once the city became desegregated, blacks had more options, drawing them away from the Hotel Theresa. It closed in 1967, but was re-opened and turned into an office building in 1971. Now known as the Theresa Towers, the building still wears its old name in ancient paint along the side of the hotel. It serves as an additional campus for Teachers College, Columbia University, and the Touro College of Pharmacy. It's also the World Wide Headquarters of Preferred Funding & Claim Management. Back in 1993, the city of New York recognized the building as a landmark.

Location: The Circle to the Lyceum, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.
Significance: James Meredith was escorted onto campus by the military here

After serving nine years in the military and spending time at Jackson State University, James Meredith applied to the segregated University of Mississippi. After being denied entry twice, he was advised by NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers, who had also been denied entry. A U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled that Meredith had the right to attend Ole Miss, and after being turned away on September 20, 1962, he officially became the first African-American to enroll on Ocotber 1. In response, an angry mob started a riot at the Circle on Ole Miss's campus. Robert Kennedy called in 500 U.S. Marshals to intervene and President Kennedy had to call the U.S. Army military police from the 503rd Military Police Battalion, the Mississippi National Guard, and U.S. Border Patrol for added security. Two people were killed, including French journalist Paul Guihard, who was found dead behind the Lyceum with a gunshot wound to the back.

The Lyceum-The Circle Historic District, which includes several buildings surrounding "The Circle" on Ole Miss's campus, was named a National Historic Landmark in 2008. Bullet holes from the confrontation can still be seen on the Lyceum today. The Civil Rights Monument, built in Meredith's likeness, was dedicated on October 1, 2006. At the entrance of the circle, right where the riot took place stands the Confederate Monument, which has been in place since 1906.

Location: 425 6th Ave. South, Birmingham, Ala.
Significance: Dr. King wrote "Letter From Birmingham Jail" while imprisoned here

Confined to a cell in this building, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. penned the "Letter From Birmingham Jail" on April 16, 1963. King was arrested and imprisoned for his participation in the Birmingham campaign, a non-violent protest organized by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) against the segregation propagated by Birmingham's government and retailers. Birmingham City Jail still stands to this day, and now a black woman—Chief Kathy Davis—presides over it.

Location: 6th Ave. and 16th St., Birmingham, Ala.
Significance: Eugene "Bull" Connor used dogs and fire hoses against protesters here

Kelly Ingram Park, originally known as West Park, is located just outside of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. During the first week of May 1963, Public Safety Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor ordered police and firemen to use dogs and hoses on protesters, many of whom were children. These harrowing images gained national attention and helped to accelerate the integration of the most segregated city in America at that time. These days, you can find several sculptures dedicated to the Civil Rights Movement inside. There are statues of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, as well as three installations from artist James Drake, collectively known as the "Freedom Walk." They're designed to highlight the incidents of 1963.

Location: 6th Ave. (between 8th St. and Paul Bryant Dr.), University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Significance: Alabam Governor George Wallace clashed with the U.S. government here

"Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." That's what Alabama Governor George Wallace wanted when he stood defiantly in the doorway of the University of Alabama's Foster Auditorium on June 11, 1963, in a haphazard attempt to block black students Vivian Malone Jones and James Hood from entering. Brown v. Board of Education forced the university to desegregate, and despite Wallace's obvious disapproval, a federal judge demanded that he not interfere with the enrollment of Jones and Hood. With the media looking on, Wallace put on a show, blocking the entrance and delivering a speech on state's rights. Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach made a phone call to President Kennedy, who trumped Wallace by federalizing the Alabama National Guard. When General Henry Graham told Wallace to move, he had no choice but to abide.

Foster Auditorium remains a multi-purpose facility for the University of Alabama, serving as the home of their women's basketball and volleyball programs. In April 2005, the building was named a National Historic Landmark, but the famous incident got the pop culture treatment over a decade before when it was depicted in Forrest Gump.

Location: 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Dr., Jackson, Miss.
Significance: Site of the murder of NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers

On June 12, 1963, just hours after President Kennedy delivered a speech about civil rights, activist and NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers was returning home when he was shot in the back by Byron De La Beckwith. Shot near his driveway, Evers collapsed after staggering 30 feet and died at a local hospital less than an hour later. His killer nearly got away with murder after juries consisting solely of white men failed to reach verdicts twice in 1964. Justice caught up with him 30 years later, and he was finally convicted of Evers' murder in February 1994, after new evidence emerged. He died in prison in 2001 at the age of 80. In 1996, the Rob Reiner-directed Ghosts of Mississippi told the story of De La Beckwith's retrial, starring James Woods as De La Beckwith and Whoopi Goldberg as Evers widow, Myrlie. Today, the Evers home is a historic landmark in Jackson with one of the house's rooms serving as a museum.

Location: Centre Ave. and Crawford St., Pittsburgh
Significance: Rallying point for all civil rights demonstrations in Pittsburgh

Located at the intersection of Centre Avenue and Crawford Street in Pittsburgh, Freedom Corner earned its name when it served as the meeting place for a protest of the destruction of the Hill District, the city's black neighborhood (the birthplace of Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright August Wilson). It then became the rallying point for all subsequent marches and protests by the black community in Pittsburgh, and was the point of departure for protesters traveling to D.C. for the March on Washington. Today, a monument rests on the corner to honor the freedom fighters of the past. The monument is inscribed with the names of leaders, and also features a chronological history of the movement.

Location: 900 Ohio Dr. SW, Washington, D.C.
Significance: Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech here

The Lincoln Memorial was the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s landmark "I Have a Dream" speech. On August 28th, 1963, over 200,000 civil rights supporters descended on the nation's capital to hear Dr. King deliver the defining speech of the Civil Rights Movement. Towards the end of the 17-minute speech, after gospel singer Mahalia Jackson shouted, "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" from the crowd, Dr. King abandoned his prepared words and started preaching. The speech, which incorporates elements of the Bible, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Declaration of Independence, and United States Constitution forced President Kennedy to address civil rights legislation in congress.

In 2003, the National Park Service placed an inscribed pedestal at the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's speech. The following year, the Library of Congress added the speech to the United States National Recording Registry. The Lincoln Memorial is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Considered a sacred space, it is part of the Registry of National Historic Places. It can also be seen on the back of a $5 bill, while Lincoln's face can be found on the front.

Location: 1530 6th Ave. North, Birmingham, Ala.
Significance: White supremacists bombed the church, killing four children

Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church served as a meeting place for civil rights activities through the spring of 1963, and leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and Fred Shuttlesworth also used the church as the meeting place. Early in the morning on Sunday, September 15, 1963, Bobby Frank Cherry, Thomas Blanton, Herman Frank Cash, and Robert Chambliss planted a box of dynamite with a time delay under the steps of the church, near the basement. At 10:22 a.m., 26 children were walking into the basement when the bomb exploded, injuring 22 people. Addie Mae Collins (age 14), Denise McNair (age 11), Carole Robertson (age 14), and Cynthia Wesley (age 14) were all killed in the attack. The tragedy brought national attention to racial inequalities in the South, forcing many to finally acknowledge the seriousness of the matter. In addition, it compelled President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ensuring that all African-Americans had equal rights in the eyes of the law.

In 1997, Spike Lee directed 4 Little Girls, a documentary about the incident that was nominated for Best Documentary at the 1998 Academy Awards. The church was named a National Historic Landmark in 2006 and still operates in the Birmingham Civil Rights District to this day.

Location: 1117 East 105th St., Cleveland
Significance: Malcolm X gave his famous "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech here

On April 3, 1964, roughly one month after his departure from the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X delivered his famed "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech at Cleveland's Cory United Methodist Church. Because of the split, X opened the speech by assuring the crowd that he was still a Muslim; still, he credited Elijah Muhammad with opening his eyes. With the Voting Rights Act of 1964 on the horizon, X called for blacks to exercise their right to vote during that election year. "The Ballot or the Bullet" emphasized voting's power by comparing it to a weapon. Still, the speech cautioned that voting alone would not bring about racial equality. The speech served as a turning point in X's life, signaling his break from the Nation and newfound appreciation for cooperation among civil rights leaders he had before kept his distance from.

Cory United Methodist Church is still in operation today. One of the oldest African-American churches in Cleveland, it remains a pillar in the community, drawing an average of 200 attendees each Sunday.

Location: County Road 515, Philadelphia, Miss.
Significance: The bodies of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman were discovered here

The Freedom Summer of 1964, dedicated to voter education and registration in Mississippi, was met with fierce opposition. In the wee hours of June 21, 1964, civil rights workers James Chaney of Meridian, along with Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, both of New York, were arrested by local law enforcement in Philadelphia, Mississippi, who were members of the Ku Klux Klan. After they were released, KKK members abducted and killed them, burying their bodies in a dam and covering them with a bulldozer. The disappearance of the young men forced President Johnson to have J. Edgar Hoover organize a search. Their bodies were discovered 44 days later, and their deaths were fuel for the Civil Rights Movement to seek the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The murders and subsequent trial were dramatized in the 1988 film Mississippi Burning, starring Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe. Known as "Rock Cut Road" back in 1964, County Road 515 in Philadelphia is where Chaney, Schwerner and Goodman were pulled from their vehicle, killed, and buried. Today, the road is calm, betraying no signs of what came before.

Location: 125 St. and Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York
Significance: James Powell was killed by a police officer here, setting off days of rioting

On July 16, 1964, 15-year-old James Powell was shot and killed by NYPD Lieutenant Thomas Galligan outside 215 East 76th Street. Off-duty, Galligan witnessed the boy horsing around with others and a building superintendant in Manhattan's Upper East Side. He fired two shots at Powell after claiming that the boy lunged at him with a knife. News of the murder shifted attention from the three missing civil rights workers in Mississippi, and two days later, protesters marched to Harlem's 28th Police Precinct, only to be met by a wall of police. A riot ensued, closing 125th Street between Third and Eighth Avenues, leading to days of violence as residents fought police. Stores were robbed, cars and buildings were set ablaze, and 465 people were arrested. The number is contested, but roughly 500 people were injured and one man was killed during the riot, which resulted in between half a million and $1 million in property damage. In modern day Harlem, 125th Street is also known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Located within this same area that was once closed are the famous Apollo Theater, the office for the William J. Clinton Foundation, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, and various retail stores.

Location: 23rd St. and Cecil B. Moore Ave., Philadelphia
Significance: Site of the Philadelphia Race Riot of 1964

North Philadelphia was home to the majority of the city's black residents during the mid-1960s, and tensions between the community and Philadelphia police had been bubbling for quite some time over ugly cases of police brutality. The entire nation was captured by the spirit of revolution during the summer of 1964, and although the weather was hot, the country was still on thin ice. The ice in Philly finally cracked during the dog days of August when Odessa Bradford got into an argument with two police officers at 23rd Street & Columbia Avenue. When officers tried to remove her from her stalled vehicle, a crowd gathered and one man tried to help Bradford by attacking the police. Both he and Bradford were arrested, and a rumor spread that a pregnant black woman had been beaten to death by police. This ignited a riot in North Philly, where furious mobs burned and raided mostly white-owned businesses along Columbia Avenue. Because they were outnumbered, police withdrew from the area. Although no lives were lost, over 300 people were injured, nearly 800 were arrested, and upwards of 200 stores were damaged from August 28th to August 30th.

The riot was devastating to businesses in North Philly, as many of the damaged stores never re-opened. In 1987, Columbia Avenue from Front to 33rd Streets was renamed Cecil B. Moore Avenue in honor of the local civil rights activist. Though his role was minor, Moore has been credited with helping to quell the riot. Some parts of the area have recovered from the riot, and if you travel South on Cecil B. Moore Avenue, you'll find that it's populated mostly by Temple University students.

Location: Ben Weiner Dr. and McAlister Extension, New Orleans
Significance: Location for the '65 AFL All-Star Game until players protested

Following the 1964 American Football League season, the AFL All-Star Game was scheduled to take place at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. After several black players were denied service by various hotels and businesses, black and white players both decided to boycott the game. Their efforts were successful, as the game was moved to Houston's Jeppessen Stadium. Encouraged by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this marked the first time in history an entire city had been boycotted by a professional sports event. Tulane Stadium hosted three of the first nine Super Bowls, Super Bowl IV, VI and IX.

It was demolished in 1980, making it one of three stadiums to host a Super Bowl that was torn down, along with Tampa Stadium and the Orange Bowl. Currently, the area where Tulane Stadium once stood is populated with university buildings, such as the Willow and Aron residences, the Collins Diboll Memorial Complex, and the Reily Student Recreation Center. A plan is underway to build a new Tulane Stadium, and rumor has it that it will be built near the old location by fall 2014.

Location: 3940 Broadway, New York
Significance: Site of Malcolm X's assassination

After Malcolm X split from the Nation of Islam and renounced Elijah Muhammad in 1964, tension escalated between the two powerful figures. FBI informants working undercover in the Nation reported that there was a price on Malcolm's head, with one claiming to have been ordered to plant a bomb in X's car. After numerous attempts on his life, including the firebombing of his home in East Elmhurst on Valentine's Day in 1965, X spoke at the Audubon Ballroom a week later. During his speech, gunmen stormed the stage, shooting him 15 times at close range. He was pronounced dead at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital shortly after. The three men convicted of his murder were all members of the Nation of Islam.

In 1992, the same year that Spike Lee's Malcolm X was released, Columbia University sought to demolish the building and convert it to the Audubon Business and Technology Center. Various preservation groups succeeded in stopping the demolition, and after a student protest at Columbia's Hamilton Hall, the university agreed to reach a middle ground. A portion of the original façade was restored, and a museum was built inside to honor X. In 2005, 40 years after he was assassinated, the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center opened.

Location: Broad St. (between Water Ave. and Cosby Ave.), Selma, Ala.
Significance: State troopers attacked civil rights protesters here on "Bloody Sunday"

On Sunday, March 7, 1965, about 600 civil rights protesters left Selma via U.S. Route 80 to protest voting rights. There was little conflict until marchers reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which extends across the Alabama River. At the end of the bridge was a vicious wall of state troopers, who asked demonstrators to turn around and head home. Before anything could be discussed, troopers attacked protesters, beating them with nightsticks and charging them while mounted on horses. The violent episode—17 individuals were injured—quickly became known as "Bloody Sunday." The national attention it garnered proved instrumental in convincing President Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Since the attack, many have gathered at the bridge to march in honor of Bloody Sunday. John Lewis, former president of SNCC who was attacked that day, was present at marches on the 30th and 40th anniversaries of the the event. In 1996, the Olympic torch crossed the bridge, carried by activist and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.

Location: 1686 East 103rd St., Los Angeles
Significance: Only building left standing after the Watts Riots

In response to the arrest of Marquette Frye, his brother, Ronald, and their mother by California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer Lee Minkus on August 11, 1965, the neighborhood of Watts became a war zone for the next five days. 34 people were killed, over 1,000 were injured, more than 3,000 were arrested. Los Angeles was left with an estimated $40 million in property damage. The Watts Riots were the most severe in the city until 1992, with most of the damage happening on 103rd Street, which became known as "Charcoal Alley" because nearly everything was burned to the ground. In the midst of the destruction, one building remained: Watts Station. Nobody is sure if the train station was left intact on purpose or by coincidence, but it became a symbol of hope in the aftermath of the riots. Four months after they ravaged the city, Watts Station was named a Historic-Cultural Monument. It was added to the Register of National Historic Places in 1974.

Location: Fieldhouse Dr. and Library Ln., University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
Significance: Texas Western University upset the University of Kentucky here

On March 19, 1966, a Don Haskins-led third-seeded Texas Western University team defeated the top-seeded University of Kentucky 72-65 to claim the 1966 NCAA title. For the first time in NCAA history, Haskins started five black players, who took out the top-ranked Wildcats, coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp and featuring a young Pat Riley. The game took place at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland, home to the University of Maryland Terrapins.

The William P. Cole, Jr. Student Activities Building, better known as the Cole Fieldhouse, was the home of the Terrapins' basketball teams until it was replaced by the Comcast Center in 2002. Ironically, the building is the site of the most upsets of No. 1-ranked men's basketball teams, with the Terps responsible for four of those upsets. The other? Texas Western over Kentucky back in '66. Cole's soccer field is still in use, and the upper level is utilized as a track. It's also used for non-athletic events, such as classes and homecoming events. In 2005, Haskins released his national best-selling autobiography, Glory Road, which detailed his time as player, women's coach, and winning the 1966 National Championship. A year later, 40 years after defeating Kentucky, a film of the same name was released, starring Josh Lucas as Haskins and Jon Voight as Rupp.

Location: 1550 South Hamlin Ave., Chicago
Significance: Dr. King's homebase during the Chicago Freedom Movement

In 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. moved the movement up North, to Chicago. In an effort to show his support for the poor, Dr. King moved his family into this North Lawndale apartment amidst the West Side slums. Partnering with the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations, the SCLC discovered that housing requests from economically equal families were being processed in accordance to race. Numerous marches were organized to fight this practice, and they were all met with violence. Dr. King received a constant stream of death threats; he was struck by a brick during one march. Despite staring personal danger in the eye, Dr, King continued to lead the movement, eventually getting the Chicago Real Estate board and protesters on the same page. Upon his return to the South, Dr. King left a young Jesse Jackson in charge of the Chicago efforts. 45 years after King's monumental stay in Chicago, the Dr. King Legacy Apartments were built in honor of the only place in the North that he lived.

Location: 4700 Highway 51 South, Hernando, Miss.
Significance: Site of James Meredith's attempted murder

On June 6, 1966, James Meredith began his "March Against Fear" from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, to protest racism. Shortly after beginning the march, the first African-American to be admitted to Ole Miss was shot by Aubrey James Norvell while traveling along Highway 51 in Hernando, Mississippi. Meredith was taken to a hospital, and SCLC members like Stokley Carmichael and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. continued the march in his name. Meredith rejoined on June 25, and the march arrived in Jackson the following day. The spot where Meredith was shot, 4700 Highway U.S. 51 South, doesn't have an address, but the bushy area where Meredith and Norvell stared each other down remains largely the same. Jack R. Thornell's stunning image of a wounded Meredith won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in 1967.

Location: 1410 South Museum Campus Dr., Chicago
Significance: Hosted Dr. King during the Chicago Freedom Movement

As part of the Chicago Freedom Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organized a huge rally at Soldier Field during the summer of 1966, and on July 10, a rumored 60,000 were in attendance to hear Dr. King speak. Also in attendance that day were gospel singer Mahalia Jackson and Stevie Wonder. After King tore into the Chicago Housing Authority for its atrocious conditions, denouncing the systematic racism of the housing selection process, he led protesters on a march through the streets of Chicago to place a list of demands at the office door of Mayor Richard Daly.

Just as it was then, Soldier Field is the home of the Chicago Bears. Named for the fallen soldiers of past wars, the stadium closed in early 2002 for renovations. It re-opened in September of 2003, but was stripped of the National Historic Landmark title it received in 1984 due to the extent of the renovations. Soldier Field also holds the distinction of being the smallest NFL stadium, with a capacity of just 61,500.

Location: 5714 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Oakland, Calif.
Significance: Bobby Seale and Huey Newton met here

Bobby Seale and Huey Newton met at Oakland's Merritt College, a two-year community college named after physician Dr. Samuel Merritt. They joined the Afro-American Association (AAA), but were disappointed with the organization's decision to merely analyze problems facing the black community rather than act on them. In 1966, Seale and Newton formed the Black Panther Party for Self Defense (the name was eventually shortened to the Black Panther Party). And while Newton and Seale criticized the AAA for failing to take action, calling the Panthers "active" would be a gross understatement. In addition to educating African-Americans about their individual rights, they were heavy in the community, installing numerous social programs.

Merritt College has since moved, but the original site was located at what was previously University High School at 5714 Grove Street. That's since been renamed 5714 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, and is the north campus for the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Location: 2001 Gayley Rd, U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif.
Significance: Stokley Carmichael's gave his "Black Power" speech here

As the fourth Chairman of SNCC and later the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party, Stokley Carmichael was without question an important figure during the Civil Rights Movement. Following his freshman year at Howard University, Carmichael embarked on the Freedom Rides, eventually spending 53 days at Parchman Farm and becoming the youngest detainee at just 19. Though he wasn't the first to use the term "Black Power," Carmichael is credited with popularizing it. He first used it following his arrest for joining other black leaders to continue James Meredith's "March Against Fear" after Meredith was shot at the beginning of his journey. However, it was Carmichael's "Black Power" speech at U.C. Berkeley's Greek Theatre in October 1966- where he called out the recently passed Civil Rights bills as being created for whites, not blacks-that is best remembered. He highlighted that blacks would continue in their quest for total liberation, but questioned whether or not whites would allow it.

The William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, or simply the Greek Theatre, plays host to U.C. Berkeley graduation ceremonies and addresses by other speakers. In the past, President Theodore Roosevelt, the Dalai Lama, and (obviously) William Randolph Hearst have spoken there. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Location: Sather Rd. and Bancroft Way, U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif.
Significance: Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale drummed up support for the Panthers here

After meeting each other at Merritt College and establishing the Black Panther Party in 1966, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale took to the streets to raise money for the organization. Firm believers in the teachings of Chairman Mao and the use of unconcealed weapons as a means of protecting the black community, Newton and Seale aimed to educate others and raise money for weapons by selling his Little Red Book. In 1967, they found an untapped resource: University of California, Berkeley students. Newton and Seale could be seen selling the book at Sproul Plaza to support their cause. As the school's primary area for student activity, Sproul Plaza has a deep history of activism. Protests against the school's investment in apartheid-era South Africa took place in Sproul. And let's not forget that it also serves as the site for Occupy Berkeley.

Location: East Alma St. and 10th St., San Jose State University, San Jose, Calif.
Significance: John Carlos and Tommie Smith trained here

This is the track where San Jose State University students John Carlos and Tommie Smith trained before participating in the 1968 Olympic Games. At the Olympics, Carlos and Smith became famous for collecting their medals shoeless, wearing black socks that represented black poverty. Both intended to wear black gloves as well, but Carlos forgot his. Fellow medal-winner Andrew Norman of Australia suggested that Carlos wear Smith's left-handed glove, putting a twist on the iconic Black Power pose. All three athletes wore Olympic Project for Human Rights badges, as Norman empathized with Carlos' and Smith's silent protest. As "The Star-Spangled Banner" played, Smith and Carlos delivered the defiant salute with their heads bowed, creating an image that would be forever immortalized in the world of sports, as well as the Civil Rights Movement.

San Jose State abandoned its famed track and field program in 1988, and the Tartan track on Winter's Field (named after legendary coach Lloyd "Bud" Winter) is now a grassy track fallen into disrepair that sometimes serves as additional parking for Spartan stadium.

[Ed. Note—The photo (left) of Carlos and Smith comes from the '68 Olympic Games.]

Location: 490 Riverside Dr., New York
Significance: Dr. King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech given here

On April 4, 1967—exactly one year before his assassination—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the "Beyond Vietnam" speech at New York's Riverside Church. With the speech, King expressed his opposition to the Vietnam War, criticizing the United State's role in it as nothing more than colonialism. Furthermore, King questioned the morals of the U.S., calling the government the "greatest purveyor of violence in the world today." This was a bold move by King, as it cost him several allies, most notably President Lyndon B. Johnson.

As the tallest church in the United States and the 24th tallest in the world, Riverside Church has played host to several key political moments. Nelson Mandela paid a visit to the church during his first trip to the United States following his release from prison. Fidel Castro appeared there during one of his ventures to the U.S., and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke there following the September 11th attacks. Because of its role in U.S. history, the church was named a New York City Landmark in 2000.

Location: 10th St. and L St., Sacramento, Calif.
Significance: Site of Black Panthers demonstration

Huey P. Newton discovered a law that allowed California residents to carry loaded weapons in public as long as they weren't concealed. Legislator Don Mumford introduced a bill, dubbed the "Panther Bill" by the media, to repeal the law. Self-defense was one of the Black Panther Party's main beliefs, and so on May 2, 1967, they brought a fully-loaded agenda to the front door of the California State Capitol in Sacramento. With loaded rifles and shotguns on full display, they planned to read Executive Mandate Number 1 (a response to Mumford's bill) but were forced out of the Assembly Chamber. They improvised, reading the mandate on the lawn.

Because of its architecture and impact on the state's history, the Capitol joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and became a California Historical Landmark the following year.

Location: 12th St. and Clairmount Ave., Detroit
Significance: Site of one of the worst riot's in U.S. history

The 1967 Detroit Riot, also known as the 12th Street Riot, remains one of the worst in the history of the United States. Taking place in the predominantly black inner-city of Detroit, the five-day riot resulted in 43 deaths, over 7,000 arrests, and the destruction of some 1,400 buildings. 7,000 National Guard and U.S. Army Troops were called in after police clashed with residents following the raid of an illegal after-hours spot on 12th and Clairmount. Though Detroit had been regarded as a leader in race relations during the early '60s, African-Americans in the city were largely unsatisfied with issues similar to those afflicting the rest of the nation: employment, housing, education, policing, and segregation. On the evening of July 23, 1967, the city reached its breaking point. Since the riot, 12th Street has been renamed Rosa Parks Boulevard, and the destroyed stores have been replaced by housing and a park. A sculpture there is the lone, yet unofficial nod to the riots of 1967, which are beaten in scale by only the New York City Draft Riots and the Los Angeles Riots of 1992.

Location: 559 East Russell St., Orangeburg, S.C.
Significance: Catalyst for riots at South Carolina State University

The incident at All-Star Bowling Lane was the catalyst for the Orangeburg Massacre. After Harry K. Floyd refused to allow people of color entry to the bowling alley, students from South Carolina State University and Clafin College converged on the establishment, refusing to leave. Following the protest, Floyd continued to run the bowling alley, now known as All-Star Triangle Bowl, until his death in 2002. His son, Harry Floyd, Jr., assumed the role of manager until the alley closed in 2007, the result of financial issues. Still, it retains its spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location: Watson St., between Geathers St. and Russell St., Orangeburg, S.C.
Significance: Orangeburg Massacre occurred here

Spurred by the protest at the All-Star Bowling Alley just two days prior, a frustrated mob of about 200 started a bonfire and riot on South Carolina State University's campus. On February 8, 1968, the crowd threw bricks, bottles, and firebombs out of frustration at the blatantly racist situation. Police and firemen were called to extinguish the fire, but when police believed they were under attack, they opened fire into the angry mob of unarmed students. Three young men—SCSU students Samuel Hammond and Henry Smith and Wilkinson High School student Delano Middleton—were killed, while 28 others were injured. Predating the Kent State shootings and Jackson State killings, the Orangeburg Massacre was the first incident of this nature in the United States, yet got little-to-no media coverage. In the years following the incident, the school's gymnasium was named after the three young men who lost their lives that night. There is a statue on SCSU's campus in their honor, and a historical marker was placed in the spot of the incident by the university in 2000. The state general assembly recently decided that February 8 would become a day of remembrance for the students killed and injured during the protest.

Location: 930 Mason St., Memphis, Tenn.
Significance: Dr. King delivered his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech here

Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his final speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop," at the Mason Temple in Memphis one day before his assassination. Largely concerning the Memphis Sanitation Strike, the speech asked the United States to live up to its ideals. Eerily prophetic, King alludes to the possibility of an early death, saying that while he would "like to live a long life," God had allowed him to "go up the mountain" and see the "Promised Land." King noted that he "may not get there" with everyone, but he was not "worried about anything." After enduring what he did in an effort to change the world, King had to know that an untimely demise was a possibility. In spite of that, he never once showed that he was under duress. The temple, named for Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, is the International Sanctuary and headquarters for the Church of God in Christ. Founded by Mason, it's the larges African-American Pentecostal group in the world.

Location: 405 Mulberry St., Memphis, Tenn.
Significance: Site of Dr. King's assassination

The world lost one of its greatest minds and hearts when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray at Memphis' Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968. Just one day after delivering his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, Dr. King booked room 306, a room he and Ralph Abernathy stayed in so often that it was known as the "King-Abernathy suite." Dr. King was struck with a bullet as he stood on the second floor balcony, and Jesse Jackson—who was nearby—says his last words were, "Ben, make sure you play 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord' in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty," spoken to musician Ben Branch. He was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital, and an autopsy revealed that though only 39 at the time of his death (the same age as Malcolm X at the time of his death), he had the heart of man in his 60s, most likely due to the stress of the burden he carried as the figurehead of the Civil Rights Movement. Big K.R.I.T., on his song "2000 & Beyond," was correct in his assessment: Can you imagine what this man saw when he went to sleep at night?

Today, the Lorraine Motel serves as the National Civil Rights Museum. It was dedicated on the Fourth of July in 1991, and officially opened to the public at the end of that September. Owner Walter Bailey left rooms 306 and 307 unoccupied following King's murder as a tribute to him, and the wreath you see is where King stood on the balcony.

Location: 150 Causeway St., Boston, Mass.
Significance: James Brown performed here on the day after Dr. King's assassination

Riots swept the nation the day after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, and city officials in Boston were overwhelmed, preparing for a second night of violence. However, on the evening of April 5, 1968, Boston was one of the few major cities in America to remain calm amidst a shocked, angry, and confused country. One man is responsible, and his name is James Brown. Brown had been slated to appear at Boston Garden months before, and Mayor Kevin White nearly cancelled the concert as a safety precaution. Black city councilman Tom Atkins convinced him to proceed with the show and also find a way to organize a live broadcast to keep residents at home. The plan worked, but when it appeared as though things were about to get out of hand, Brown himself stepped in to calm a potential conflict. People began climbing on stage, and white police officers started pushing black concert goers off. When tension threatened to spoil the moment, Brown himself asked police to step back and allow him to handle the situation. Addressing the crowd, Brown explained his actions, saying he figured he'd be able to get respect from his own people. That night, James Brown's televised performance saved the city of Boston.

Boston Garden was home to the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics and various concerts. Because it lacked luxury seating and air conditioning, the building had lost its allure by the early '90s. The final event at Boston Garden was a pre-season game between the Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens in 1995—ironically enough, these two teams were involved in the first NHL game to feature black player Willie O'Ree back in 1958. The parquet and ice of Boston Garden were demolished in 1997, and TD Garden was built just north of the building.

Location: 2337 West Monroe, Chicago
Significance: Site of Hampton's assassination

The FBI was terrified of the Black Panther Party, and a new name making noise within the organization was Illinois-native Fred Hampton. Intelligent, charismatic and efficient, Hampton became the leader of the party's Chicago chapter, and FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover feared that through the potential merger of Chicago street gangs with the Black Panther Party, Hampton would create a radical faction powerful enough to overthrow the government. After keeping a file on him for two years, the FBI and Cook County State's Attorney Edward Hanrahan organized a raid of Hampton's apartment on the morning of December 4, 1969. Armed with a warrant for illegal weapons possession, officers killed Peoria chapter president Mark Clark and Hampton, who was asleep in bed alongside his pregnant girlfriend, Debra Johnson. Though police claimed they were attacked by the "violent" Panthers, just one of the 90+ bullets fired in the apartment came from a Black Panther Weapon—a reflexive reaction by Clark as he was shot by officers.

Today, the apartment where Hampton and Clark were killed is still in good condition, experiencing renovations since 1969. The neighborhood is vastly different than it was 42 years ago. Inside of the apartment building, a sign next to the door of Hampton's apartment reads "No Soliciting, No Loitering, No Trespassing – Violators Will Be Prosecuted." Hip-hop has taken notice of Hampton's work and assassination: Jay-Z, on the Throne track "Murder to Excellence" reflects on being born on the day Hampton died.

Location: 861 8th Ave., New York
Significance: Angela Davis arrested here

In 1970, Angela Davis was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted List for purchasing the weapons used by George Jackson's 17-year-old brother Jonathan to take over a Marina County courtroom along with members of the Soledad Brothers during their own trial. Three female jurors and Judge Harold Haley were taken hostage, and Haley was later killed. During the investigation, it came to light that Davis had written letters found in the prison cell of one of the defendants. Because California law recognizes anyone connected to a crime, directly or indirectly, to be responsible, Davis was charged with aggravated kidnapping and first degree murder. Thus, Davis became the third woman in history to appear on Hoover's famous list. On October 13, 1970, she was found by the Bureau in Room 702 of the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in New York. After her arrest, President Nixon congratulated the FBI for capturing the activist, feminist, and teacher—only he called her a "terrorist." In 1972, after 18 months behind bars, Davis was acquitted of all charges by an all-white jury. Today, the building where this "terrorist" was captured has been replaced by a Hampton Inn.

Location: 1 Main St., San Quentin, Calif.
Significance: Site of George Jackson's murder

George Jackson was a member of both the Black Panther Party and a co-founder of the Black Guerilla Family during his long incarceration (most of his life was spent behind bars). In 1961, at the age of 19, Jackson was sentenced to a-year-to-life at San Quentin State Prison. His gang involvement, coupled with assaults on other prisoners and guards, was used to justify his prolonged confinement. After meeting W.L. Nolen in 1966, the two formed the Black Guerilla Family based on Marxist and Maoist teachings. It's rumored that after meeting Huey Newton in jail, Jackson joined the Panthers. On August 21, 1971, Jackson was shot and killed in San Quentin's yard during an alleged jail break attempt a mere three days before his trial for the alleged murder of guard John Mills at Soledad prison. Jackson's supporters believe that his death was a set-up, and some members of the Black Guerilla Family were angry at Newton, believing that he used his contacts in Soledad to delay Jackson's release so he wouldn't have a rival.

San Quentin State Prison is California's oldest prison, and has the state's only death row for male inmates—the largest one in the United States, in fact. Today, it's largely overcrowded, holding rougly 5,000 prisoners, well past its stated capacity of 3,000. Notable former inmates include fellow Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver, actor Danny Trejo, and early Crip leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams.

Location: 639 Exchange Street Rd., Attica, N.Y.
Significance: Site of pivotal prison riot

On September 9, 1971, after learning of the death of George Jackson at San Quentin State Prison, nearly half of Attica's 2,200 inmates took control of the prison, holding 42 officers and civilians hostage. The prisoners created a list of demands, and after four days of negotiations, authorities agreed to 28 of them but refused to grant amnesty for the takeover and removal of prison superintendent Vincent Mancusi. Governor Nelson Rockefeller ordered state police to reclaim the prison, so heavily armed authorities infiltrated Attica, attacking the unarmed prisoners. When the catastrophe was over, 43 people were dead, including 10 correctional officers and civilian employees. Jackson's death wasn't the only motivation for the riot, as the prison was holding nearly twice its capacity and prisoners were subject to abysmal living conditions like limited toilet paper and a single weekly shower.

Attica currently holds prisoners serving sentences ranging from short term to life. The facility typically receives prisoners who have been "problem" inmates at other facilities. Notable Attica inmates include Black Panther member H. Rap Brown, Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz, and Mark David Chapman, who murdered John Lennon in 1980.