Charles Person

Charles Person (September 27, 1942 – January 8, 2025) was an African-American civil rights activist who was the youngest Freedom Rider of the 1961 Freedom Rides. He was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Following his 1960 graduation from David Tobias Howard High School, he attended Morehouse College. Person was selected by the Congress of Racial Equality to join the Freedom Rides in 1961. His memoir ''Buses Are a Comin': Memoir of a Freedom Rider'' was published by St. Martin's Press in 2021. Charles most recently established the Freedom Riders Training Academy, a comprehensive curriculum on nonviolent resistance. The program, co-founded by Pete Conroy, of the Freedom Riders Park Board, was designed to educate individuals about the principles of peaceful demonstration and the lasting significance of First Amendment rights. Participants learn to exercise these rights responsibly and within the boundaries of the law, promoting constructive and lawful engagement. Person died from complications from leukemia on January 8, 2025, at the age of 82. Provided by Wikipedia