Sammy Younge Jr.

Sammy Younge Jr.
Official image of Sammy Younge Jr. as an enlisted member in the United States Navy.
Born
Samuel Leamon Younge Jr.

(1944-11-17)November 17, 1944
Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJanuary 3, 1966(1966-01-03) (aged 21)
Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.
Cause of deathGunshot wound
Known forCivil rights activist; first black college student activist murdered during the Civil Rights Movement

Samuel Leamon Younge Jr. (November 17, 1944 – January 3, 1966) was a civil rights and voting rights activist who was murdered for trying to desegregate a "whites only" restroom.[1] Younge was an enlisted service member in the United States Navy, where he served for two years before being medically discharged.[2][3] Younge was an active member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and a leader of the Tuskegee Institute Advancement League.[4][5]

Younge was the first African-American university student to be murdered in the United States due to his actions in support of the Civil Rights Movement.[4][6] Three days after his death, SNCC became the first civil rights organization in the United States to oppose the Vietnam War, partly on the grounds that like Younge, innocent civilians should not face deadly violence.[7]

  1. ^ Bourlin, Olga (30 September 2014). "Younge, Samuel ("Sammy") Leamon Jr. (1944–1966)". BlackPast.org. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference belafonte was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement Archive -- Sammy Younge". Civil Rights Movement Archive. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Murdered: Sammy Younge" (PDF) (Press release). Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). 4 January 1966. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference southcourier was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Summerlin, Donnie (2 September 2008). "Samuel Younge Jr". The Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  7. ^ Montgomery, Nancy (9 November 2014). "When the civil rights movement became a casualty of war". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 7 March 2015.