Bernard LaFayette, Selma Voting Rights Organizer, Dies at 85

LaFayette laid the groundwork for the Selma voting rights campaign that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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Bernard LaFayette, a key organizer of the voting rights campaign in Selma, Alabama in the 1960s, has died at the age of 85. LaFayette was the advance man who did the risky groundwork to build the leadership capacity of local people in Selma, convincing them that change was possible and creating momentum that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Why it matters

LaFayette's work in Selma was crucial in laying the foundations for the landmark Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had disenfranchised Black Americans. His quiet but determined efforts to organize the local community and prepare the way for the historic voting rights marches in Selma were instrumental in advancing civil rights.

The details

In 1963, LaFayette moved to Selma as the director of the Alabama Voter Registration Campaign, working with his former wife Colia Liddell to build local leadership and convince the community that change was possible. Despite facing dangers including an assassination attempt, LaFayette persisted in his nonviolent organizing efforts, which created the momentum that led to the Selma-to-Montgomery marches and the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

  • In 1960, LaFayette helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which organized desegregation and voting rights campaigns across the South.
  • In 1963, LaFayette was named director of the Alabama Voter Registration Campaign and moved to Selma.
  • On March 7, 1965, the beating of future congressman John Lewis and voting rights marchers on Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year.

The players

Bernard LaFayette

A civil rights organizer who laid the groundwork for the Selma voting rights campaign that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

John Lewis

A future congressman who was beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965, an event that helped spur the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

Colia Liddell

LaFayette's former wife, who worked with him to build local leadership and momentum in Selma.

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What they’re saying

“We lived through this, but this was our daily lives. When you think about it, we weren't trying to make history or trying to rewrite history. We were responding to the problems of the particular time.”

— Bernard LaFayette (The Associated Press)

“Bernard has always worked quietly behind the scenes. He has avoided the spotlight. In some ways, I think he felt like he could do more if he were doing it quietly.”

— Mary Lou Finley, Professor Emeritus, Antioch University Seattle (ncadvertiser.com)

The takeaway

LaFayette's unsung but crucial work in Selma demonstrates the vital role of grassroots organizers in advancing civil rights and social change. His commitment to nonviolent activism and community empowerment laid the groundwork for landmark legislation that transformed voting rights in America.