Lawrence Guyot, a civil rights activist who inspired generations of students to become involved in politics, has died at his home in Mount Ranier, Maryland. He was 73 years old and suffered from diabetes and heart disease.
A native of Mississippi, Guyot was a graduate of Tougaloo College and received a law degree from Rutgers University. Guyot was an operative for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was director of the 1964 Freedom Summer Project which brought hundreds of college students from across the United States to Mississippi to participate in voter registration projects.
He later worked to elect Marion Berry as mayor of Washington, D.C., and spent time working for the government of the District of Columbia.
Another Freedom Fighter has transition. I thank Mr. Guyot and so many others for enabling me to pursue my dreams.