Nation C.T. Vivian was a giant figure in the civil rights movement: 5 things you may not have known about him July 22, 2020 Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY Comments Off on C.T. Vivian was a giant figure in the civil rights movement: 5 things you may not have known about him C.T. Vivian led his first sit-in demonstration in 1947 in Peoria, Illinois. After that, his civil rights career stretched for more than six decades.