Gustav Young (September 10, 1909 – March 19, 1969) was a prominent civil rights leader in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1932, Young was one of only three blacks in East Baton Rouge Parish registered to vote. He was a member of the board of directors of his local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter and his city's Bi-Racial Committee. He was a member of St. John Missionary Baptist Church and the Freemasons.
Gustav "Gus" Young | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 10, 1909 |
| Died | March 19, 1969 (aged 59) Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Gilbert Cemetery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Occupation | Civil rights activist |
Gus Young Avenue (formally Capitol Avenue) in Baton Rouge is named for him. He is interred at the Gilbert Cemetery in Baton dub by descendants from his childhood and is a former military Rouge.
Early life
editGus Young was born September 10,[citation needed] 1909, in Zachary, Louisiana.[1] He was educated in the segregated black schools and received a high school diploma equivalent from the Humble Oil and Refining Company.
Civil rights activism
editYoung led the first voter registration drives in the Baton Rouge black community. In 1938, he founded the First Ward Voters League. He also worked to improve sanitary conditions in black sections of Baton Rouge.
Young was one of the leaders of the 1953 Baton Rouge bus boycott.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Dictionary Y". Dictionary of Louisiana Biography. Louisiana Historical Association. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ Hendry, Petra Munro; Edwards, Jay Dearborn; Ware, Carolyn (2009). Old South Baton Rouge: The Roots of Hope. University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-88736-686-1.