About James Farmer

Dr. James L. Farmer, Jr. was born on January 12, 1920 in Marshall, Texas. He earned national prominence as one of the foremost leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Some of his other outstanding accomplishments include:

1942 – Organized the nation’s first civil rights sit-in in Chicago
1942 – Founded the Congress of Racial Equality, also known as CORE
1960s – Established as one of the “Big Four” of the Civil Rights Movement along with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney Young, and Roy Wilkins.
1961 – Organized the “Freedom Rides” to desegregate interstate bus travel.
1969 -1970 – Served as the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, & Welfare.
1985 – Wrote and published his autobiography Lay Bare The Heart.
1985 -1998 – Served as Distinguished Professor of History and American Studies at Mary Washington College.
1997 – Awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters by Mary Washington College.
1998 – Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton; Mary Washington College’s Multicultural Center was renamed the James Farmer Multicultural Center.

On July 9, 1999, Dr. Farmer passed away at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is survived by two daughters, Tami Farmer Gonzalez and Abbey Farmer, and granddaughter Abigale Elizabeth Gonzalez.

For more information about Dr. Farmer and his legacy, visit any of the following UMW websites:

View atimelineof Dr. James Farmer’s life created by the UMW Libraries.