Civil Rights Activism

John Martin will speak to us today about his activism which began in high school when he was chosen to attend the Black version of Boy’s State.  

John was attending Tuskegee Institute at the time of the Voting Rights Campaign. He was part of a group of Tuskegee Students who took part in the Selma to Montgomery March. Later he was a co-founder of a volunteer Community Organizing Group in St. Louis Missouri. In Minnesota he has been active in Church Sponsored Social Justice Groups and he has recently been active in the DFL, holding positions at all levels of the Party.

John Martin is a Gullah from Savannah, Georgia. The Gullahs are descendants of the rice-producing people from the areas of West Africa around Sierra Leone. They now live in the low country on the islands between Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. This area has been isolated until modern times, so many of the old traditions still exist.

John’s present hobbies are Storytelling and Political Activism. John is a member of Groveland Fellowship.