The 60s are credited as being the decade of the Civil Rights Movement. People like Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Gloria Steinam, Abbie Hoffman, Malcolm X, and Stokley Carmichael fought against what they felt was social injustice against the establishment.  Who were the greatest civil rights leaders, and how do they compare with the leaders of the present?

Now this is a great question.

Well, Dr. Martin Luther King was chosen and he was very appropriate, I think. Back than, there was no communication or integration among blacks and whites much less asians.Dr. King was chosen to pull it somewhat all together, and sadly he lost his life for it.

I do not believe I view anyone in the same light as Rosa Parks, Dr. King, etc. Jesse Jackson has bribed and threatened companies and people, Al Sharpton is an angry person who has no skills at what he's trying to be. I don't see the 21st Century as having any sort of movement. I have had black teachers, health professionals, bosses and black Americans achieve to the same level as non blacks. It'll still be a white male dominated culture,though. But you can't blame history -even as a white person, people get passed over for opportunities.You just have to make the best of your life no matter what your race is.Today, anyone is free to pursue anything.Life is not perfect, though.

There was great injustice pre-60s (and still in the 60s), but like I said, in my lifetime, I have seen the fruits of Dr. King's work. Nothing is perfect and we will never have it where there is absolutely no racism, no sexism, etc. Many people have risen above it. I say things are way way better today and that indicates success. I also feel that John and Robert Kennedy were integral in the civil rights movement.Johnson was a horrendous racist guy but some people credit him- ::).
The Kennedys were sincere with advocating for equality and civil liberties.

Today, I see more of a struggle between economic classes. It's wealthy (no matter what race) vs. poor (no matter what race). That is what life seems to be bound by these days.

It seems People and kids who grew up with a stable economy and no war are petrified by war and ups and downs in the economy.
In the 60's,man,we had civil rights,womens rights,presidential assasination,the space race,the cold war,protests for all of the above and not to discount or forget Vietnam.Or Watergate.
I guess growing up during all this made me feel like it was supposed to happen for everything all the time.
The music back then even to a kid,was a welcome diversion from all this ;)

Man, this is a toughy.  I guess I would have to say that the leaders were less important than all those unnamed people who followed them.  All those people who marched to Selma Alabama, or got food thrown on them during the sit-ins, or rode the "freedom buses".  No disrespect to Dr King and the other "leaders", and I think Dr King especially would agree that he couldn't have been a leader if there hadn't been people willing to follow.  In a small way I did my part, and I'm proud of it.

As to progress, I think it is undeniable, but there is still a long way to go.  The infant mortality rate for black people in the U.S. is higher than the rate in Cuba, Why?  And there is still a lingering atmousphere of racism - note the dragging death of James Byrd Jr in Texas just a few years ago.  I cast no aspersions to those here.  Raising this issue demonstrates that you too are concerned, and I certainly mean no offense.  My point is, that unless we all CONTINUE to work for racial and gender equality, we will never achieve them.  I don't know who said it, but "when good people do nothing, evil inevitable triumphs".  Please match your concerns and your honorable intentions and beliefs with whatever actions are appropriate to your situation.  Work for social justice.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797)