James Farmer was a co-founder of CORE, the Congress On Racial Equality. He served as its National Director from 1961-1966. In the 1960s, CORE was one of several civil rights groups that followed Gandhi's principles of non-violent resistance.
CORE also helped organize the Freedom Rides -- multi-racial busloads of people traveling through the Deep South, making sure the Supreme Court's decisions on desegregation were being enforced. Farmer's long life as an advocate of civil rights was detailed in his autobiography, Lay Bare the Heart. Farmer died in 1999. This interview was originally broadcast in 1985.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.
