Civil Rights Pioneer Bruce Boynton Honored

An unheralded pioneer of the civil rights movement is being recognized in his native Alabama.

A ceremony will be held May 18 honoring 80-year-old Bruce Carver Boynton of Selma.

Boynton is a black man who was arrested for sitting in the whites-only section of a bus station restaurant in 1958. His conviction and appeal resulted in an important Supreme Court decision and inspired the Freedom Rides movement of 1961.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson puts Boynton on the same plane as Rosa Parks and says it’s time he is honored. The ceremony will be held in Thompson’s courtroom in Montgomery and will include the recording of Boynton’s oral history.

Boynton is a retired attorney in frail health. He says he’s happy to be getting the recognition.

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Categories: Montgomery Metro, News, Statewide