George Raymond Jr.

George Raymond Jr.
Mugshot from Freedom Ride arrest in Jackson Mississippi on August 14, 1961
Born	(1943-01-01)January 1, 1943 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	March 8, 1973(1973-03-08) (aged 30) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	activist
Spouse(s)	Myrtis Evans 1965–1973 (his death)
Children	Two
Parent(s)	George Raymond (father), Elsie Smothers Raymond (mother)

George Raymond, Jr. (January 1, 1943 – March 8, 1973) was an African-American civil rights activist, a member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, a Freedom Rider, and head of the Congress of Racial Equality in Mississippi in the 1960s. Raymond influenced many of Mississippi's most known activists, such as Anne Moody, C. O. Chinn, and Annie Devine to join the movement and was influential in many of Mississippi's most notable Civil Rights activities such as a Woolworth's lunchcounter sit-in and protests in Jackson, Mississippi, Meredith Mississippi March, and Freedom Summer.

George Raymond, Jr. was born on January 1, 1943, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Friends and family describe George as courageous, action-oriented and vocal. He attend Tommy Lafon Elementary, Samuel J. Green Junior High School and graduated from Cohen High School in 1960. George married Myrtis Evans in 1965 whose mother, Lara Evans, was influenced by George to become a Freedom Rider. George and Myrtis had two children. Raymond died in 1973 from a heart attack, at the age of thirty.

At the age of eighteen, George Raymond, Jr. was living in New Orleans, Louisiana, when he was arrested for his participation in the Freedom Rides. Raymond, along with Pauline K. Sims, was arrested in the Trailways bus terminal in Jackson, Mississippi, on 14 August 1961.

George Raymond, Jr. moved to Canton, Mississippi, through the Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE) in the early 1960s. CORE, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), and other groups sent workers to like George to Canton to focus on voter registration. Of a potential 10,000 voters, in Madison County, only 121 blacks were registered in 1963. Those who dared try to register or vote were threatened by gun-wielding officials. Another tactic that prevented blacks from voting was the poll tax. George, Dave Dennis, Robert Chinn, Anne Moody, a Tougaloo student, and many others led the voting registration initiative in Canton. George was the project director for the Freedom Summer in 1964 and remained in charge in the following years. In 1965 he extended CORE's activities into Rankin and Leake counties, among others.