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Alton Yates (born August 19, 1936) is a retired United States Air Force Liutenant Colonel and civil rights activist. Liutenant Colonel Yates served honorably from 1955 to 1996, dedicating 31 years of his life to serving his country.

Alton entered the United States Air Force in 1955, and went to Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Alton became the first African-American from Jacksonville to serve as an Aerospace Test Subject at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. THe experiments Alton took part in paved the way for the first space flights.

After being honorably discharged from active duty in 1959, Alton joined the Air Force reserves. As he crossed into Mississippi, he saw billboards that showed Blacks being hung from trees. Gas stations would let him buy gas, but wouldn't serve him food or drinks. So, Alton decided to do something about it. He decided to become a civil rights activist. Alton organized civil rights demonstrations, and was at Ax Handle Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida on August 27th, 1960.