Bernard LaFayette, civil rights leader who helped launch Voting Rights Act, dies aged 85
The Guardian World
by Associated PressMarch 6, 2026
Early in a life of service, LaFayette did the risky groundwork for the voter registration campaign in Selma, Alabama
Bernard LaFayette, the advance man who did the risky groundwork for the voter registration campaign in Selma, Alabama, that culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, has died.
Bernard LaFayette III said his father died Thursday morning of a heart attack. He was 85.
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Originally published on The Guardian World on 3/6/2026