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The Fayette County Civic and Welfare League was established in 1959 in order to advocate for equal voting rights for the African American community in Fayette County, Tennessee. Through a rigorous voter registration drive, local African Americans were able to change the political climate of the county and gain national attention for the work toward equality during the 1950s-1960s era of the Civil Rights Movement
Viola Harris McFerren (1931–2013) was a civil rights activist in Fayette County, Tennessee. Born October 19, 1931, she went on to found the Fayette County Civic and Welfare League Inc., which was later called the Original Fayette Civic Welfare League Inc. After attending a high school for African Americans in 1947, McFerren later become involved in desegregating public schools, with her involvement in the McFerren v. County Board of Education of Fayette County Tennessee, which led to dismantling three “racially identifiable schools” and deconstructing a new school and its policies.
Leon Lynch was an American trade union leader. He was the first African American to be an international vice president of any major labor union, serving in that role for the United Steelworkers from 1976 to 2006. He was elected to the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO in 1995 and served on that body until he retired in 2008. He was co-chair of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and a member of the Democratic National Committee.
References
- 1 2 3 Tent City... "Home of the Brave". Washington, D.C.: Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO. p. 12.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Hamburger, Robert (1973). Our Portion of Hell, Fayette County, TN: An Oral History of the Struggle for Civil Rights. New York: Links Books. ISBN 0825630223.
- 1 2 Viola McFerren. Oral history interview. Civil Rights Oral History Project. Special Collection Division, Nashville Public Library.
