James L. Farmer, Jr.
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
James L. Farmer, Jr.(Jan. 12, 1920-Jul. 9, 1999)Civil rights leader James Leonard Farmer, Jr., son of Pearl (Houston) and Dr. James L. Farmer, Sr., lived here as a child from 1925-30. James, Sr. taught at Samuel Huston College (now Huston-Tillotson University). In 1942, James, Jr. founded the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which trained civil rights leaders in Ghandi-inspired nonviolent civil disobedience tactics to protest racial discrimination. Under Farmer's leadership, CORE organized the 1961 "Freedom Riders" to desegregate interstate transportation in the Deep South. Farmer was an Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Deparment of Health, Education, and Welfare (1969-1970). He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998. (2008)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As a boy in the 1920s, James L. Farmer, Jr. lived here while his father taught at Samuel Huston College. In 1942 he founded the Congress of Racial Equality, which trained activists in Gandhian nonviolent protest, and in 1961 he led the Freedom Riders who braved violence to desegregate interstate travel across the Deep South. Farmer later served in the federal government and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.
Why it matters
Farmer was one of the "Big Four" leaders of the civil rights movement, and CORE's nonviolent tactics helped dismantle legal segregation in America.
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Related people
- · James L. Farmer, Jr.
- · James L. Farmer, Sr.
Related events
- · Freedom Rides of 1961
- · Founding of CORE
Themes & tags
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