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. November 17, 1944 Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | January 3, 1966 (aged 21) Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
| Known for | Civil 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. Younge was an enlisted service member in the United States Navy, where he served for two years before being medically discharged. Younge was an active member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and a leader of the Tuskegee Institute Advancement League.
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. 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.