Rep. Sewell Honors the Life and Legacy of Civil Rights Activist and Nonviolence Advocate Bernard LaFayette

Washington D.C. - Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) spoke on the House Floor to honor the life and legacy of civil rights activist and nonviolence advocate Bernard LaFayette, who passed away on March 5, 2026, at the age of 85.

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Rep. Sewell: Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the extraordinary life and legacy of a giant of the Civil Rights Movement and a lifelong champion of justice, equality, and nonviolence, Bernard LaFayette, who passed away on March 5, 2026, at the age of 85.

Bernard LaFayette was an extraordinary man who had extraordinary talents and extraordinary courage. As a Freedom Rider and a co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, otherwise known as SNCC, Bernard placed himself on the front lines of the struggle for civil rights, risking life and limb to challenge injustice and dismantle segregation across the South. As a trusted lieutenant of Dr. Martin Luther King, he helped to advocate a philosophy of nonviolent social change that moved our nation closer to its founding promise of liberty and justice for all.

His liberation was one of selflessness. His leadership was instrumental during the most pivotal moments of the Civil Rights Movement, especially in my hometown of Selma, where his organizing efforts helped secure the right to vote for countless Black Americans.

Yet, what set Bernard LaFayette apart was not only his bravery in those defining moments, but his lifelong commitment to ensuring that the principles of nonviolence would endure forever.

Through his ministry, his scholarship, and his teaching, Bernard LaFayette dedicated himself to training new generations in the principles and the discipline of peaceful resistance. He believed deeply in what Dr. King called the Beloved Community-a nation and a world rooted in justice, in reconciliation, and love-and he worked every day of his life to make that vision a reality.

On a personal note, as a proud daughter of Selma, I am forever grateful for the sacrifices made by Bernard LaFayette in the name of justice and equality. I know that I get to walk the halls of Congress as Alabama's first Black congresswoman because of the resilience, the courage, and determination of people like Bernard.

My thoughts and prayers are with his beloved wife, Kate, as well as his family and friends, and all those whose lives he touched.

On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the extraordinary life and legacy of a civil rights icon and a nonviolence advocate, Bernard LaFayette.

May he rest in power and in peace.

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