Bernard LaFayette, Civil Rights Pioneer, Dies at 85

LaFayette helped integrate Nashville and played key roles in the Civil Rights Movement across the South.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Bernard LaFayette, a critical early organizer in the Civil Rights Movement who helped integrate lunch counters and public spaces in Nashville and across the South during the 1960s, died on Friday at the age of 85. LaFayette co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960 and was involved in landmark events like the Freedom Rides and voter registration efforts in Selma, Alabama.

Why it matters

LaFayette was a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement, helping to desegregate public spaces in Nashville and increase Black voter registration in Alabama. His life and work embodied the mission of the American Baptist College, where he later served as president, to 'educate, serve, and pursue justice in the world.'

The details

LaFayette came to Nashville from Florida in 1958 to study at American Baptist College, known then as American Baptist Theological Seminary. There, he co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and led sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, resulting in Nashville becoming the first major Southern city to desegregate public facilities. LaFayette was arrested more than two dozen times for his civil rights activism. He later joined the Freedom Rides in 1961, directed the Alabama Voter Registration Project in 1962, and became program coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1967.

  • LaFayette co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960.
  • The first large-scale sit-in happened on February 13, 1960 at Woolworths, S.H. Kress and McLellan stores in Nashville.
  • LaFayette joined the Freedom Rides in 1961.
  • LaFayette directed the Alabama Voter Registration Project in 1962.
  • LaFayette became program coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1967.

The players

Bernard LaFayette

A key early organizer in the Civil Rights Movement who helped integrate lunch counters and public spaces in Nashville and across the South during the 1960s.

American Baptist College

The college where LaFayette studied and later served as president from 1992-1999.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

The organization that LaFayette co-founded in 1960 to lead the sit-in movement in Nashville.

Martin Luther King Jr.

The civil rights leader with whom LaFayette worked as part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Forrest Harris Sr.

The recent former president of American Baptist College who succeeded LaFayette.

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What they’re saying

“Nonviolence is not something that you simply embrace with your mind. It embodies and affects your entire being.”

— Bernard LaFayette (Tuskegee University)

“If there is one person among them all who has refused … to put the nonviolent banner down, it's Bernard.”

— John Seigenthaler, Former editor, The Tennessean (The Tennessean)

“To educate, serve, and pursue justice in the world. He rode buses through a violent South. He registered voters in the face of danger. He marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He later returned to lead this institution as our President – and never stopped teaching the world that change is possible through love, courage, and the power of nonviolence.”

— American Baptist College (American Baptist College)

What’s next

The American Baptist College plans to hold a memorial service to honor LaFayette's legacy and contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.

The takeaway

Bernard LaFayette's life and work exemplified the power of nonviolent activism to drive social change. His commitment to training young people in the tactics of the Civil Rights Movement ensured that his legacy would live on, inspiring future generations to continue the fight for justice and equality.