Man, 92, honored for bravery in 1954 civil rights case

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Man, 92, honored for bravery in 1954 civil rights case
By Verna Gates Verna Gates – 1 hr 46 mins ago

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) – In 1954, Charles Patrick set out to purchase a Boy Scout uniform for his son and instead sparked the first successful civil rights legal case in Birmingham, Alabama.

On Monday, an organization that every year marks the April 4, 1968, assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized 92-year-old Patrick for his bravery.

"I am a blessed man to live to get it," said Patrick, who traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to receive the Open Door Award from the April 4th Foundation.

Patrick was trying to park on a crowded street in downtown Birmingham on December 11, 1954, when a white woman pulled into the spot he was waiting to take.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/us_nm/us_alabama_civilrights