Lawrence Guyot, a Mississippi native who became a key players in the Civil Rights Movement, died in his Mt. Rainer, MD home this past weekend. Guyot had diabetes and a history of heart problems; he was 73.
Born in Pass Christian, Miss. in 1939, Guyot became a civil rights activist after graduating from Tougaloo University in 1963. Guyot played a pivotal role as director of the Freedom Summer Project in 1964, when volunteers risked severe beatings and violent opposition for helping to register black voters in the South. He was a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and led and effort by the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to have black delegates included in the 1964 Democratic National Committee. Guyot was jailed several times for his work, including a stay at the notorious Mississippi state penitentiary known as Parchman Farm, where he was beaten severely. Guyot received a law degree from Rutgers in 1971 and helped Marion Barry’s mayoral campaign in DC in 1978.
Guyot continued to work for equality his entire life, speaking to colleges and encouraging people to vote. A big supporter of President Obama, he voted early to ensure his vote would count, says his daughter.
