Guide Note:

Rev. James Orange was a civil rights activist during the African-American civil rights movement in the 1960s. Orange's jailing in 1965 sparked the protest that led to both the Selma-to-Montgomery march and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Orange passed away on February 16, 2008 at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 65.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: October 29, 1942 in Birmingham, Alabama
2. Jailed in 1965 on charges of disorderly conduct and "contributing to the delinquency of minors for enlisting students to aid in voting rights drives"¹
3. At 6-foot-3 1/2 inches, Orange was described by civil rights leader Andrew Young as a "real soldiers of the movement ... a gentle giant"²
4. One of Martin Luther King Jr.'s field staffers
5. During the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela, Orange assisted the Africa National Congress in the registration of elections in 1990³
6. Served as the community and religious coordinator for the southern region of the AFL-CIO
7. Spouse: Cleophas Orange