Baltimore and the Civil Rights Movement - Hardcoverby Philip J. Merrill (Author) In all aspects of life, from politics and education to religion and business, the Black Baltimore community has been a leader for civil rights. From the 19th century until the 1970s, Baltimore has been at the forefront of various civil rights movements. Black Baltimoreans helped establish the Niagara Movement, the precursor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and had one of the most