Bernard LaFayette, civil rights leader who helped launch Voting Rights Act, dies aged 85
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- Bernard LaFayette, a key civil rights activist who laid the groundwork for the Selma voter registration campaign leading to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, has died at age 85 from a heart attack.
- LaFayette was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and directed the Alabama voter registration campaign from 1963, building local leadership despite threats and violence.
- He participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides, was imprisoned for civil rights activism, and later helped organize tenant unions and train youth leaders in Chicago.
- LaFayette worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr., was present at King's assassination, and dedicated his life to promoting nonviolence globally through academic and religious
