Rodney N. Powell

[2] Born to Raymond and Norma Powell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[3] Rodney spent his childhood in poverty.

"[1] He and his future wife, Gloria Johnson, even made a commitment to not work on the same protests together in fear of not being able to maintain their nonviolence if the other got assaulted.

[3] Powell continued to work closely with Diane Nash to provide much of the organization to the 1961 Freedom Rides, however, due to threats from his school he was not able to participate without risking his medical degree.

[3] Martin Luther King Jr. had once explained to their group the importance of them finishing their education, because there was a dire need for black doctors in their community.

[3] After their involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, Johnson and Powell joined the Peace Corps to go to Africa.

[3] It was not until he received motivation from Susan Ford Wiltshire that Powell began to advocate for LGBTQ rights.

This caused turmoil for Powell feeling ostracized by the African-American community for his sexuality leading him to leave the NAACP.

[4][2] Afterwards, Powell left for Hawaii, so he could live as an openly gay man and was able to meet his current partner Bob Eddinger, a zoologist.