The Civil Rights Movement for African Americans began after World War II as African Americans fought against racial segregation and discrimination. Key events and figures that advanced the movement included Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, President John F. Kennedy's speeches addressing civil rights, and Freedom Day celebrations in cities like Hattiesburg, Mississippi to commemorate the end of racial segregation. However, the murder of Louis Allen in Mississippi in 1964 showed that racial tensions and violence continued despite these advances for civil rights.