​James L. Farmer, Jr. ​ 
(Jan. 12, 1920 - Jul. 9, 1999)

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Marker No: 15236

Aluminum 18 x 28 Subject Marker

Geographic: 30.272419, -97.722656

Marker Text: ​ Civil rights leader James Leonard Farmer, Jr., son of Pearl (Houston) and Dr. James L. Farmer, 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 "Freedom Riders" to desegregate interstate transportation in the deep south. Farmer was an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1969-1970). He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998. (2008)

Location: 1604 New York Avenue, Austin