Bernard Lafayette, American civil rights activist, died on March 5, 2026, at age 85.
Also known as Bernard LaFayette Jr., he was a civil rights organizer and Baptist minister who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He played a leading role in the early organizing of the Selma Voting Rights Movement and was a member of the Nashville Student Movement.
Throughout the 1960s, he worked closely with groups including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the American Friends Service Committee.
Bernard Lafayette (or LaFayette) Jr. (/læfiˈɛt/; July 29, 1940 – March 5, 2026) was an American civil rights activist, organizer and Baptist minister, who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He played a leading role in early organizing of the Selma Voting Rights Movement. He was also a member of the Nashville Student Movement and worked closely throughout the 1960s movements with groups such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the American Friends Service Committee.