Curtis Muhammad
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February 24, 1943
Curtis Williams
Curtis Muhammad | |
|---|---|
| Born | Curtis Hayes February 24, 1943 |
| Died | February 1, 2022 (aged 78) |
| Other names | Curtis Leroy Curtis Williams |
| Occupation | Civil rights activist |
| Years active | 1961–2022 |
| Children | Curtis Williams |
Curtis Muhammad (February 24, 1943 – February 1, 2022), born Curtis Hayes, was an American civil rights activist. Muhammad was an organizer in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1961 to 1968 and later moved on to other activist organizations.
Muhammad was born in 1943 in Independence, Louisiana. Muhammad's father Johnny Williams was already married, but could not have children, so he arranged for Muhammad's mother Mabel to have a baby for him and his wife. The arrangement ended after Muhammad's birth when his grandmother intervened.[1] Muhammad grew up in the Chisholm Mission community near Summit, Mississippi. After a childhood accident, Muhammad received inadequate medical care from a local white doctor which caused him to suffer from debilitating pain throughout his life.
The family had several run-ins with the Ku Klux Klan. Muhammad's cousin was lynched after being accused of raping a white woman. His father Johnny worked as a print setter at the Enterprise-Journal, where the editor was a vocal critic of lynching; however, after exchanging gunfire with Klan members, Johnny was forced to flee to Chicago. Muhammad's grandmother temporarily changed his last name to Leroy to prevent the Klan from finding Muhammad. As a result, Muhammad was 18 when he met his father.[1] Muhammad graduated from Eva H. Harris School in May 1961 and was awarded a scholarship to Jackson State University. On a bus trip during summer 1961, Muhammad saw two Freedom Riders being arrested, which interested him in the movement.[1]