History usually looks fondly and favors civil rights activists from the past, MLK Jr., Malcom X, Jesse Owens among many other figures. Some great figures in our history.

I was thinking about how divided America is about social justice and some current figures, like Colin Kaepernick as well as other themes of police brutality and the injustices that still persist today. I am curious if people, I suppose specifically whites, felt adversely about other movements in the past for people fighting for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

What was the consensus among white people and their feelings about these figures at the time of the US civil rights movement?