In April 2020, the life of Dr. Judson Frazier Eneas, (April 18, 1947 – April 5, 2020) eminent Bahamian physician and civic leader, sadly came to an end.
On the passing of Dr. Eneas, Prime Minister Philip Davis remarked, “His expansive civic work helped to shape a generation of young Bahamian leaders and significantly strengthened our country’s social fabric.”
Dr. Eneas, it was widely noted, had a long history of helping to foster civic pride among young Bahamians. His life and stellar accomplishments were heralded by all.
Why and how Dr. Eneas developed his keen interest in social development and advancement for the youth of The Bahamas, was one, it seemed, he learned as a young university student, in Nashville Tennessee, in a racially segregated 1960s South.
Dr. Eneas, as young teenager, learned the tenets of social change directly from great civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Congressman John Robert Lewis, then chairman for SNCC (Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee) and Nashville Student for Nonviolent Movement.
In fact, on 29th April 1964, Judson Eneas, as a 17-year-old student in Nashville Tennessee, would be arrested and jailed, along with John Robert Lewis for participating in a non-violent student sit-in over racial segregation in restaurants and food establishments in Tennessee.
They, along with twenty others, would be dragged away by police for refusing to move at sit-in protest.
After refusing to pay bail, Eneas, Lewis and the other protesters would stay in jail to continue their silent protest over racial segregation.
John Robert Lewis, photographed on 29th April 1964, being dragged away from a non-violent protest over racial segregation in Tennessee eating establishments
John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia’s 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020.
Bahamian student Judson Eneas jailed in Nashville Tennessee for participating in nonviolent demonstration over racial segregation in eating establishments
In 1964, Judson Frazier Eneas was only 17 years old. He, along with his brother Cleveland, were both pre-med students at Fisk University in Tennessee.
Eneas and twenty-six others, participated in a peaceful, non-violent demonstration against racial discrimination.
Dr. Martin Luther King travelled to Nashville to address students and activists of the SNCC in April 1964
https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/judson-frazier-eneas-1947-2020/
