Sammy Younge Jr.'s Page

Early Life: I was born on November 17, 1944 to my middle-class parents, Samuel and Renee Younge in Tuskegee, AL. I was always an adventurous and daring child. My parents always taught me to have pride in my race and my African heritage, this led me to have dedication to improving the community to embrace all colored people.

Education: I graduated Tuskegee Institute High School in 1962. Shortly after I enrolled in the Navy. After I was in the Navy I decided I would go back to schooling, so I attended Tuskegee Institute in 1965. During my time at the institution I tried to get the school to make the necessary improvements that would make it a role model to the rest of the nation. I suggested that the schools should be more integrated and that whites should attend negro schools. I wanted to also make an attempt to better the city of Tuskegee, I did this by suggesting that the city should integrate a lot of public facilities. I also wanted to better the "negro section" of the city by improving the sewage system so the neighborhoods would not smell of waste, integrated recreational facilities with a public statement from the council clarifying the matter. I was very involved in public matters in my city in the time that I was receiving my education, I only wanted to make the city I lived in as equal and as fair as it could possibly be.

Profession: I was previously in the Navy. I served for two years immediately after I graduated high school. I was involved in the blockade of Cuba on the U.S ship USS Independence. Sadly, I suffered from a kidney failure in my first few months of being stationed in Cuba so I was given a medical discharge in July of 1964. After all that, I began work at Tuskegee Veteran's Hospital, and soon after I became a prominent figure in the Civil Rights movement in my home town of Tuskegee, Alabama.

Organizations: I am part of the Tuskegee Institute Advancement League and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. I fought for integration and just the all around improvement in education in not only Tuskegee but across the country in a nonviolent way.

Quote:"This is an era of social revolution. In such social revolutions, individuals sacrifice their lives."

Citations:

http://www.crmvet.org/mem/younges.htm

http://www.crmvet.org/docs/tuskegee1.pdf

http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1669