C.t. Vivian
Honoring the legacy of an inspiration for generations to come.
Birthplace
Reverend C.T. Vivian was born in the small town of Boonville, Missouri where he lived for the first six years of his life.
Growing up
Reverend C.T. Vivian lived in Macomb, IL for most of his childhood into his teenage years. Vivian graduated from Macomb High School, and after high school, he attended Western Illinois University.
First Job
Reverend C.T. Vivian acquired his first professional position as recreation director for the Carver Community Center in Peoria Illinois. It was here that he was first presented with the ideas of nonviolent protests and was able to participate in sit-ins at local businesses.
Ministry Education
While studying ministry at American Baptist College, Reverend C.T. Vivian was introduced to the peaceful ideas of Mahatma Gandhi. Vivian was involved in a march at Nashville's City Hall that eventually proved racial discrimination to be morally wrong.
Facing Violence with Nonviolence
In Selma, Alabama, Reverend C.T. Vivian was protesting for the right of African Americans to vote, and was attempting to create a scene that would attract national television. During one of his marches, he asked the sheriff about what he told his family about his racist ways. The sheriff struck him violently over the head, and the story shook the world.
Meeting Martin Luther King Jr.
Reverend C.T. Vivian met Martin Luther King Jr. In 1955 during the Montgomery bus boycotts speaking out in support of the demonstration of Rosa Parks. From then on, King and Vivian worked closely with similar mindsets about the civil rights movement.
Death
On July 17, 2020, Reverend C.T. Vivian passed peacefully surrounded by friends and family.
The Life of a Hero
On July 30, 1924, Reverend C.T. Vivian was born Cordy Tindell Vivian to Robert Cordie and Euzetta Tindell Vivian in Booneville Missouri. When he was young, Vivian moved to Macomb Illinois with his mother and attended Lincoln School, Edison School, and Macomb High School where he graduated in 1942. He then attended Western Illinois University. Vivian’s first professional position was at the Carver Community Center in Peoria, Illinois, where he attended his first sit-in. It was then that the ideas of nonviolent protests sprouted in his mind. In 1959, Vivian went to Nashville, Tennessee where he studied ministry at American Baptist College. He was introduced to the teachings of Gandhi and participated in a nonviolent protest at Nashville’s Cit Hall where he, along with other students demanded change from Nashville’s city government. The mayor later conceded that racial segregation was morally wrong. Two years later, Vivian became a prominent figure of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and began participating in many of the famous Freedom Rides. He was assigned to the executive staff after only two years of working with the organization and later was given national director of affiliates by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1963, his most influential moment of the civil rights movement occurred. In Selma, Alabama, Vivian was peacefully protesting for African American voting rights when Sheriff Jim Clark struck him on the mouth, which made national news. The media went crazy and Clark faced backlash. In 1969, Vivian wrote his first book about all the racism and violence he had faced, titled Black Power and the American Myth. Around the same time, he led a program called Vision which helped Alabama students to go to college, and founded the Black Action Strategies and Information Center. His legacy has carried on even after his death on July 17, 2020 and the impact he had on the civil rights movement will never be forgotten.
Through his life, Reverend C.T. Vivian faced violence and negativity from those around him, but his smile never faltered. The way that he carried himself amid all the discrimination that he was shown is truly inspirational. Vivian took the idea of nonviolence very seriously and carried himself with a grace that showed compassion to everyone around him.
Dedication of Macomb High School Library
Board members Jim LaPrad (left) and Chris Sutton (right) (Tri States Public Radio)
Reverend C.T. Vivian was welcomed back to his childhood town to witness his high school library dedication ceremony. The library was to be called the Reverend C.T. Vivian library. Students for years to come will be reminded of his legacy and impact on racial discrimination.
C.T. Vivian Mural
Downtown Macomb IL (WGEM News)
Macomb honors Civil Rights pioneer CT Vivian with mural (WQAD News 8)
The creation of this mural was led by former Western Illinois art professor, Michael Mahoney, as well as the director of the C.T. Vivian Project Foundation of Macomb, Byron Oden-Shabazz. The mural was dedicated on Saturday, July 30, 2022, and is titled "Life of a Servant Leader: Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian." The mural is a message of equality and a teaching of the history of C.T. Vivian and his enormous impact on the civil rights movement.
Thank you C.T. Vivian for your incredible bravery and sacrifice, the impact of your work cannot ever be expressed!
"C.T. Vivian: A Message of Hope to Today’s Young People"
