James Farmer
James Leonard Farmer Jr. (January 12, 1920 – July 9, 1999) was an American civil rights activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement "who pushed for nonviolent protest to dismantle segregation, and served alongside Martin Luther King Jr." He was the initiator and organizer of the first Freedom Ride in 1961, which eventually led to the desegregation of interstate transportation in the United States.
James L Farmer Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 1st National Director of the Congress of Racial Equality | |
| In office 1942–1966 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Floyd McKissick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Leonard Farmer Jr. January 12, 1920 Marshall, Texas, US |
| Died | July 9, 1999 (aged 79) Fredericksburg, Virginia, US |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Winnie Christie
(m. 1945–1946)Lula Peterson (m. 1949–1977) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | James L. Farmer Sr. (father) |
| Education | Wiley University (BS) Howard University (BDiv) |
In 1942, Farmer co-founded the Committee of Racial Equality in Chicago along with George Houser, James R. Robinson, Samuel E. Riley, Bernice Fisher, Homer Jack, and Joe Guinn. It was later called the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and was dedicated to ending racial segregation in the United States through nonviolence. Farmer served as the national chairman from 1942 to 1944.
By the 1960s, Farmer was known as "one of the Big Four civil rights leaders in the 1960s, together with King, NAACP chief Roy Wilkins and Urban League head Whitney Young."