Personal Journeys: Freedom fighter

Metro Atlanta

Personal Journeys: Freedom fighter

Atlanta's C.T. Vivian changed history on a winter day in Selma when he met violence--and turned the other cheek. AJC reporter Ernie Suggs recounts Vivan's journey from the Deep South to the White House.

In grade school, C.T. Vivian fought nearly every day. Sometimes he was the victims of bullies and sometimes he was the instigator. He rarely lost. In the 3rd grade, he was the only black kid in his class. Family Photo

As a child, C.T. Vivian's mother and grandmother dressed him in tailored suits, even during the Great Depression. C.T. Vivian is at LEFT. Family Photo

The Vivians: C.T. Vivian and his wife of 58 years, Octavia, had six children. In this family photo from the late 1970s, the parents are surrounded by (standing) Cordy, Denise, Kira and Mark. (Kneeling) Al and Charisse.

As a teenager, C.T. Vivian learned early, that while he was popular in town and in school, things would always be different for him.

C.T. Vivian graduated from Macomb High School in 1942. A school leader, he became president or vice president of every club he joined. Family Photo

Although he was older than many of the students in Nashville, C.T. Vivian insisted on joining them on the Freedom Rides through the deep South, risking his life and freedom. Family Photo

Strategy sessions would sometimes last for hours. C.T. Vivian (on the right), became a close ally of Hosea Williams, Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy and James Bevel (on the floor with the hat).

Build, Baby Build, was part of a campaign C.T. Vivian led in Chicago.

A smile is never far from Vivian's face, especially during victories like this one in Chicago

C.T. Vivian's contemporaries included Jesse Jackson and Ralph David Abernathy, shown here in Chicago with a local resident.

Years after the famous confrontation on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, C.T. Vivian returned with President Bill Clinton.

Martin Luther King Jr. called C.T. Vivian the greatest preacher that ever lived. Family Photo

The most dangerous marches occurred at night.

C.T. Vivian has participated in hundreds of marches throughout the South. He is 3rd from the right.

One of his oldest friends from the movement is comedian and activist Dick Gregory. C.T. Vivian's often recounts an evening where Gregory showed up at his Atlanta home for a party. Vivian said afterwards, he had to explain to his children some of Gregory's "blue," humor.

C.T. Vivian was able to forge alliances across the globe, including with PLO leader Yassar Arafat.

C.T. Vivian, integration leader, left, leads a prayer on the courthouse steps in Selma, Ala., February 5, 1965, after Sheriff James Clark, background with helmet, stopped him at the door with a court order. Vivian led hundreds of demonstrators armed with petitions asking longer voter registration hours. Clark arrested them when they refused to disperse. (AP Photo/Horace Cort)

While participating in the Freedom Rides, C.T. Vivian was arrested in Mississippi. Convicted, he was shipped to the notorious Parchman Prison. Family Photo

For 58 years, C.T. Vivian was devoted to his wife, Octavia, who died in 2011. Family Photo

Rev. C.T. Vivian, center, is shown in a photograph with U.S. President and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama at his home Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga., October 1, 2013. Vivian is a minister, author, and was a close friend and lieutenant of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. during the American Civil Rights Movement. On August 8, 2013, President Barack Obama named Rev. Vivian as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He's still the firebrand who stood toe to toe with the sheriff in Selma. JASON GETZ / JGETZ@AJC.COM

Rev. C.T. Vivian looks through old newspaper clippings from the early 1970s at his home Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga., October 1, 2013. Vivian is a minister, author, and was a close friend and lieutenant of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. during the American Civil Rights Movement. On August 8, 2013, President Barack Obama named Rev. Vivian as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He's still the firebrand who stood toe to toe with the sheriff in Selma. JASON GETZ / JGETZ@AJC.COM

Rev. C.T. Vivian looks through his library at his home Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga., October 1, 2013. Vivian is a minister, author, and was a close friend and lieutenant of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. during the American Civil Rights Movement. On August 8, 2013, President Barack Obama named Rev. Vivian as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He's still the firebrand who stood toe to toe with the sheriff in Selma. JASON GETZ / JGETZ@AJC.COM

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (left) shacks hands with Reverend Dr. C.T. Vivian during a "Congratulatory & Send-Off Celebration" of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient to be Vivian in the atrium of Atlanta City Hall on Saturday October 19th, 2013. PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

U.S. President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to civil rights leader Cordy Tindell "C.T." Vivian at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, November 20, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing

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In grade school, C.T. Vivian fought nearly every day. Sometimes he was the victims of bullies and sometimes he was the instigator. He rarely lost. In the 3rd grade, he was the only black kid in his class. Family Photo

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