sentences:  As the mother of two boys who were unable to benefit from educational offerings at their neighborhood college due to its race-based admissions policies, Hicks became an advocate for her sons, Charles and Theodore, and then an activist for her entire community, state and nation during the American Civil Rights movement, leading thousands of pickets at Girard College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to raise awareness of the institution's practice of denying students admission based on their race.Among those joining her in those protests were Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cecil B. Moore.In addition to protesting and organizing, she also sued the college.