Lesson 17:
James L. Farmer

An ongoing illustrative history study
This piece originally posted 7/15/2020


Prelude | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Email

James Farmer - pen and ink with watercolour, 2.5 in. x 3.5 in.

"Our intention was to provoke the southern authorities into arresting us and thereby prod the Justice Department into enforcing the law of the land."

Today James L. Farmer, founder and director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), is probably best known as the organizing force behind the "Freedom Rides," a courageous group of individuals who set out to challenge --at great personal risk-- Jim Crow segregation on interstate buses in the Deep South. Regarded as one of the "Big Four" of civil rights leaders in the 1960's, Farmer grew up in segregated Texas and managed to graduate high school at the age of 14. At the age of 21 (in a story he loves to relate), his extraordinary academic standing brought him to the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt, which ensured that his questions stood a much better chance of being answered by an at-times reluctant White House! His friendship with Roosevelt deepened and became lifelong.

A confession: I have a microscopically tiny personal connection to Dr. Farmer, in that I actually met him, if only briefly. I was a reckless and uncaring undergrad at Mary Washington College (as it was once known) in the fall of 1988, and among the many staff and faculty I met during general orientation, was "that kindly old professor with the eyepatch." Oh but believe me it wasn't long before I learned just what a TITAN that man was --the University of Mary Washington is justifiably proud of having had James Farmer as their resident Distinguished Professor of History and American Studies! [grin]

https://students.umw.edu/multicultural/aboutjamesfarmer/

Next page - Lesson 18: Paul Robeson


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