"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - - Martin Luther King, Jr. The civil rights movement helped people realize how powerful their voice could be, which completely changed America. One of those people who had a powerful voice was Martin Luther King, Jr. He was an inspiring and influential leader of the civil rights movement. The quote above is just one of many thought-provoking comments made by Martin Luther King. Peaceful protests against racism, led by this African-American man, have often been met with violent threats, beatings and arrests. King emphasized how important it was that the black community not stoop to the level of the people they were fighting against. He had an attitude of this way of thinking that was enormously successful and gave the civil rights movement honorable influence and motivating intelligence. While Rosa Parks didn't exactly have a powerful voice, she did have a powerful attitude. Rosa Parks, known as "the mother of the civil rights movement," rode the bus home from her job in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955. This was the day she was also arrested for refusing to get up and let a white passenger take a seat. With the help of Martin Luther King, Jr., who launched a boycott of Montgomery buses, the Supreme Court declared segregation on buses unconstitutional. Another person who played an important role in the civil rights movement. it was the courageous civil rights lawyer, Thurgood Marshall. Marshall's plan to change racism in the United States used the legal system Before Thurgood Marshall took charge of this situation, black and white schools... middle of paper... ... Transitional//EN""http ://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"Welcome to the United States Department of Justice. Network. March 14, 2015. .Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus .Free online reference, research and homework help. Infoplease.com Network. March 14, 2015. "The Importance of the Civil Rights Movement." massive exposure, Ezine publishers receive 25 free reprints of articles. Network. March 14, 2015. "Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement - Impact of?" Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement - CORE, NAACP, SCLC, SNCC. Network. March 14. 2015. .