Tuskegee in Macon County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Samuel "Sammy" Leamon Younge, Jr.

— The Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail —

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

1. Samuel "Sammy" Leamon Younge, Jr. Marker

Inscription. Samuel "Sammy" Leamon Younge, Jr. (1944-1966), a civil rights and voting rights activist, was the first African American university student killed during the civil rights movement. A Tuskegee native, Younge was attending Tuskegee University when Standard Oil gas station attendant Marvin Segrest shot him as he was attempting to use a whites-only bathroom. He was an active member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and a leader of the Tuskegee Institute Advancement League (TIAL). He participated in the Selma-to-Montgomery Marches, and aided SNCC in voter registration drives in Mississippi in 1965. Along with 40 other civil rights martyrs slain between 1954 and 1968, he is honored on the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. SNCC subsequently joined the anti-war opposition stating: " The murder of Samuel (Younge) in Tuskegee, Alabama, is no different than the murder of peasants in Vietnam, for both (Younge) and the Vietnamese sought, and are seeking, to secure the rights guaranteed them by law."

Erected 2019 by City Of Tuskegee, Tuskegee University, Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.

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(Marker Number 12.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation., and the Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail, Alabama series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1965.

Location. 32° 25.471′ N, 85° 41.358′ W. Marker is in Tuskegee, Alabama, in Macon County. It is on East Martin Luther King Highway (U.S. 80) east of North Maple Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: East Martin Luther King Highway, Tuskegee AL 36083, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Black Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and

View from marker east on US-80. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

2. View from marker east on US-80.

the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Macon County Legal Milestone (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Macon County Confederate Monument (about 500 feet away); Brief History of Tuskegee, Alabama (about 600 feet away); "Trade With Your Friends" (about 700 feet away); 119 Westside Street (about 700 feet away); Tuskegee High School (approx. ¼ mile away); Site of the Tuskegee Female College (approx. ¼ mile away); Rosa Parks (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tuskegee.

Another marker is no longer nearby. William P. Mitchell (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Wikipedia article on Sammy Younge Jr. (Submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

The view west on US-80 and Maple Street. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

3. The view west on US-80 and Maple Street.

Dedication program and associated map of trail. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

4. Dedication program and associated map of trail.

All thirteen new markers were dedicated on September 20th, 2019 at the Tuskegee Municipal Complex.

Please note #1 on the map, Amelia Boynton Robinson marker is actually on Franklin Road, NNW of Tuskegee University, near Boy Scout Circle.

Official image of Sammy Younge Jr. as enlisted member of the U.S. Navy. image. Click for full size.

Public domain

5. Official image of Sammy Younge Jr. as enlisted member of the U.S. Navy.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 3, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,410 times since then and 104 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.