Bruce Boynton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Boynton in 2018 | |
| Born | (1937-06-19)June 19, 1937 Selma, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | November 23, 2020(2020-11-23) (aged 83) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupation | Civil rights activist |
| Known for | Boynton v. Virginia |
| Spouses | |
| Mother | Amelia Boynton Robinson |
Bruce Carver Boynton (June 19, 1937 – November 23, 2020) was an Americancivil rights leader who inspired theFreedom Riders movement and advanced the cause of racial equality through a landmark Supreme Court case,Boynton v. Virginia.
Boynton grew up inSelma, Alabama.[1] His parents were civil rights activists, known in their community as Mr. and Mrs. Civil Rights, because they participated in events like theBloody Sunday march of 1965.[2] His mother,Amelia Boynton Robinson, was beaten during demonstrations for voting rights in 1965, and 50 years later was honored by then-PresidentBarack Obama.[3]
In 1958, Boynton ordered a cheeseburger while sitting in a white only part of a restaurant at a bus station inRichmond,Virginia. He was arrested fortrespassing after he refused to leave the restaurant and spent one night in jail. He was a law student atHoward University then[4] and decided to fight his arrest in court. At trial, he was represented byMartin A. Martin.[5] He lost his case, but decided to appeal, until finally, his case reached theU.S. Supreme Court. His case, known asBoynton v. Virginia, was argued byThurgood Marshall, who later became a justice of the Supreme Court. The court overturned Boynton's conviction, affirming that racial segregation in public transportation was illegal.[2][3]
In 2018 U.S. District JudgeMyron Thompson said of Boynton: "He did something that very few people would have the courage to do. He said no. To me he's on par withRosa Parks," referring to the Black woman who did not give up her seat in the front part of a segregated bus to a white man.[6] Summarizing his impact, Thompson said, "All he wanted was a cheeseburger, and he changed the course of history."
Boynton's actions inspired theFreedom Rides in 1961, where activists rode interstate buses through theSouthernUnited States to protestsegregated bus terminals.[7] While the Freedom Riders were arrested in a few southern states, including Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina, the actions prompted the then-PresidentJohn F. Kennedy to pass orders for a strict enforcement of the federal anti-discrimination laws.[3]
Boynton received a law degree from Howard University; however, Alabama refused to give him alaw license for six years while they "investigated the circumstances" ofBoynton v. Virginia.[8][9] He was forced to move toChattanooga, Tennessee, to practice law until Alabama granted him a license in 1965.[10] He worked as a civil rights attorney for most of his career until he retired. He served as Alabama's first Black special prosecutor.[11]
In 2018, Phillip McCallum, executive director of theAlabama State Bar, apologised for the delay in granting Boynton's license.[8]
Boynton died on November 23, 2020, at 83, two weeks before the 60th anniversary of his landmark case.[12][11] Former Alabama State SenatorHenry Sanders announced his death.[3] His daughter, Carver Ann Boynton, said the cause was cancer.[8]
On the day he died, the Dallas County Commission of Alabama voted to rename an annex of theDallas County Courthouse in Selma in honor of Boynton and another prominent black lawyer,J. L. Chestnut, Jr.[8]
