Robert Singleton also known as Bob Singleton (born 1936) is a civil rights activist he and his wife Helen Singleton are known for being part of the Freedom Rides together in Jackson, Mississippi. He currently teaches economics at Loyola Marymount University which he has been for twenty years.
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Life and education
Robert was born and raised in Philadelphia. He joined the army and served in Europe when he came back from war he went to school at the University of California, Los Angeles this is where studied economics and also went for his undergraduate. In 1964 received his Ph. D. then went on to teach at UCLA for a few years. Robert began his activism at UCLA when he ran for president of their chapter for the NAACP. During his time on campus he became inspired by the speakers that would come including James Farmer, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, and Langston Hughes that helped him realize the injustices in America. He first joined the sit ins where he meet other activists and helped them organized events where they would find food, clothing, getting sharecroppers to vote, and organize the freedom riders to Jackson, Mississippi. When he returned the NAACP had been kicked out of the school, so it was replaced with a CORE group which he was chair of.
Freedom Rides
Robert Singleton and his wife are most known for the Freedom Rides that they took part of in Jackson Mississippi. The south ignored the ruling that the U.S Supreme Court made about public transportation not being segregated because it was unconstitutional. As a result, they protested against segregation on public transportation when got to Mississippi Robert, his wife, and the other riders were arrested on July 30, 1961 and sent to Parchmen Penitentiary. The conditions in the prison they face was harsh they were put in maximum security, separated from each other, and were placed next to the gas chambers. “Three months after the freedom rides they were to desegregate public transportation. Robert and Helen Singleton were one of the few couples to be part of the rides.