Martin Luther King Jr. is the most obvious. Beginning with the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the March on Washington, MLK was the most instrumental figure in the Civil Rights movement. His protests and arrest in Birmingham, Alabama also produced some of the most vivid pictures and tales from the time.
Speaking of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, you could also choose Rosa Parks who is credited with helping start the movement. Her refusal to give up her seat to a white person, even though she was seated in the “colored section” resulted in her arrest, followed by protests and the boycott. The white section was filled so they ordered her to move, and she didn’t.
