Samuel Leamon Younge Jr.
Tuskegee Institute student Samuel "Sammy" Leamon Younge Jr. (1944-1966) was the first black college student to be killed as a result of his involvement in the American civil rights movement. During the mid-1960s, Younge worked to desegregate public facilities and led voter-registration drives in Macon County and in other parts of the South. His violent death in 1966 for trying to use a whites-only restroom inspired civil rights workers in Alabama and throughout the nation to continue their work for racial equality and pushed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to publicly oppose American involvement in the Vietnam War.
(Click Here to download a copy of the article on Sammy's murder)
(Click Here to download a copy of the article on Sammy's murder)
SNCC Organizing Presence in Alabama
This website covers the history of SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) in Alabama. It is written by Dr. Gwendolyn Patton, of the Tuskegee Institute Advancement League.
An Interview with Author James Foreman
This is an interview with James Forman, author of, "Sammy Younge Jr: The First Black College Student to Die in the Black Liberation Movement".
It took place February 29, 1968. Foreman died in 2005. Here are James Forman's Political thoughts. Foreman news article. Sammy L. Younge Award
The National Committee of Black Political Scientists have created the Sammy L. Younge Award. This is given each year for outstanding papers written in the field.
SNCC by Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers of Oakland, CA and former member of SNCC in Tuskegee Institute, gives his memories of the Black Liberation Movement.
"For Sammy Younge" a poem by Charlie Cobb
Mississippi Freedom Summer
This article from the C.O.R.E. (Congress on Racial Equality) website discusses the Mississippi Freedom Summer. This was attended by Samuel L. Younge Jr. and caused him to become more active in voter registration, and the activities of SNCC.
Civil Rights: End of the Fascade
This is the TIME magazine article on Sammy Younge.
"No Outside Saviors"
This is an article on the Solidarity website. An interview with Dr. Gwendolyn Patton, Tuskegee Institute Student President, Tuskegee Institute Advancement League leader and SNCC worker. She discusses how SNCC didn't look for outside leadership. They looked locally to take the lead.
The Spirit House Project
"Samuel also worked in Mississippi, Lowndes County, and Macon, Alabama. In the winter of 1966, Younge was working as a vote registration volunteer at the Macon County courthouse."
Spartacus Younge Biography
This biography on Samuel L. Younge Jr. is on the Spartacus website from the United Kingdom.
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Sammy Younge Biography
This Biography, on Sammy Leamon Younge, Jr., is on the Alabama Encyclopedia website.
Sammy L. Younge Jr. video
This short video tells the story of Sammy Younge in Tuskegee Institute.
Sammy Younge Jr. by James Foreman
James Forman authored the book, "Sammy Younge Jr.: The First Black College Student to Die in the Black Liberation Movement".
Here is a review of the book by LIFE Magazine entitled, "The Making of a Black Radical 1966". Locations near Macon Co. to View Sammy's Book Places to Purchase Sammy's Book CLICK HERE for Sammy Younge Jr. on Facebook
"Tuskegee: The Fire This Time"
"Nearly all the students at Tuskegee Institute were stunned by Younge's murder. But many TIAL members were in a state of shock."
An article in the Southern Courier February 5-6, 1966 (click to download) "Killing of Rights Worker Jolts Tuskegee Students"
"A single bullet this week killed a young civil rights worker and shattered Tuskegee's reputation for racial harmony."
An article in the Southern Courier January 8-9, 1966, that gives details about the murder of Samuel L. Younge Jr. The Cold War and Color Line
The Cold Ware and the Color Line: Race Relations in the Global Arena, is a Google Book. This passage discusses Samuel L. Younge in Tuskegee and how he influenced SNCC to protest the Vietnam conflict.
Black History Fact 2
A Black Psychologist relates how Sammy Younge Jr.'s murder propelled the first black sheriff to be elected since Reconstruction in the South.
Tuskegee's 2 Statues
The Booker T. Washington Society discusses the 2 statues in Tuskegee. The one on the city square and the one at Tuskegee University. This includes testimony of how the Confederate statue was defaced after Sammy Younge's murder.
"Examining Tuskegee" - Google Books
This is a Google Book online, "Examining Tuskegee". The passage discusses Sammy Younge's murder.
SNCC Veterans
The Southern Anti-Racism Network website features veterans from the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.
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