The Breakfast Club - Hunting 4 Answers: Quieting the Queen: Lynn Eusan

Episode Date: June 28, 2025

The Black Effect Presents... Hunting 4 Answers! In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In 1971, civil rights activist Lynn Eusan made history as the first Black homecoming queen at a predominantly white Southern university. Just three years later, she was found stabbed to death in the backseat of a stranger’s car. The man responsible was arrested—then acquitted. Over 50 years later, her murder remains unsolved. Was Lynn targeted for the crown she wore… or the revolution she led?  This is the story of Lynn Eusan. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. From iHeart Podcast. Before social media, before cable news, there was Alan Berg. He was the first and the original shock choc. That scratchy, reverent kind of way, talking to people and telling them that you're an idiot and I'm gonna hang up on you. This is Live Wire, the loud life and shocking murder of Alan Berg. And he pointed to the Denver phone book and said, well, there are probably two million suspects. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Maybe you've heard that Stonewall was a riot where queer people fought back against police or that it's the reason Pride is celebrated this time of year.

It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done. Legend says Marsha P. Johnson threw the very first brick. It started banging on the door of the Stonewall like one, boom. This week on Afterlives, we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marsha P. Johnson. Listen to Afterlives on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Did it occur to you that he'd charmed you in any way?

Yes, it did. But he was a charming man. It looks like the ingredients of a really grand spy story. Because this ties together the Cold War with the new one. I often ask myself now, did I know the true Jan at all? Listen to Hot Money, Agent of Chaos on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a true crime podcast.

I'm your host, Hunter. And today's case takes us way back to September 10th, 1971 and centers around a 22 year old civil rights activist and trailblazer. According to some accounts, she accepted a ride from a stranger, while other sources suggest she was abducted while waiting for a bus on her way to work. She also happened to be the first black homecoming queen at a predominantly white university in the South, and her death remains unsolved after more than 50 years. This is the story of Lynn Yuzan.

Lynn Cecilia Yuzan was born on October 11th, 1948 in Galveston County, Texas, to Ida Mae Boudreaux Yuzan and Wilbur Thurkeeled Usain Sr. By 1968, Lynn had become one of the first black students admitted into the University of Houston, or U8. With a bright smile and fierce determination, Lynn wasn't just another student. She was a revolutionary. While studying journalism, she co-founded

the African American Studies Program at UH and helped establish the Shape Community Center in 1969. She was also a charter member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and even played in the university's margin band. But Lynn's activism went well beyond campus activities. She had even been arrested a few times for demonstrating. All of this during the civil rights era. November 1968, the University of Houston Astrodome. In a moment that shocked the nation, Lynn Yuzan was crowned the first African-American

homecoming queen at a predominantly white university in the South. She beat five white candidates in a victory that sent shockwaves through the segregated South. The shock that she was actually named, it was fantastic, recalled her friend, Jean Locke, who was there that night. The Daily Cougar newspaper called her election a symbol representing UH's defiance of the wall of prejudice.

But not everyone was celebrating. Lynn's crown wasn't just a tiara. It was a statement, a declaration that change was coming to the American South. She used her platform to fight for social justice, leading rap sessions sessions and presenting demands to the university president that included things like an African American studies program, more black administrators and instructors, increased financial aid, and better wages

for maintenance workers. There were other blacks who felt as I did and who were facing the same problems I was. By organizing into a group, we were able to make our problems known, Lynn once told the Houston Chronicle. Her activism made her beloved by some and despised by others.

her beloved by some and despised by others. September 10th, 1971, Houston, Texas. It was a rainy day and Lynn, now 22 years old and a recent graduate of UH, was walking to her job when the rain started. According to some accounts, a stranger offered her a ride, and that split-second decision to get out of the rain, Lynn's fate was sealed. However, other reports say she was abducted. Nonetheless, whatever happened would leave a family devastated, a community outraged, and questions that remain unanswered till this day.

On that morning, a Houston police car was struck by a 1971 Chevrolet sedan driven by a 26-year-old black man named Leo Jackson Jr. When officers approached the vehicle, they found Lynn Yuzan in the back seat, stabbed six times, and fighting for her life. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Jackson claimed that a hysterical Lynn had attacked him and stabbed herself,

and that he was rushing her to the hospital when he crashed into the police car. Show me how good it can get today, God, and show the rest of the world what we already know. It can't get no better than being hella black, hella queer, and hella Christian. My name is Joseph Rees. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian, a fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully divine podcast that explores society, culture,

and the intersections of faith and identity. Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian to hear conversations about what it means to sound the way you look. I think what I've had to make peace with is that every iteration of my voice is given to me by God, and I love it. Books that validated our identity. The library now for me is a safe space as someone who is writing books that they're trying to take off of shelves. And how we as Black queer folks relate to our Christianity.

Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. However, the evidence told a different story. The medical examiner's report was damning. Lynn had been stabbed multiple times in the back, wounds that could not have possibly been self-inflicted. And Leo Jackson Jr. wasn't just a good Samaritan trying to help. He had a lengthy criminal record with 14 prior arrests

for sexual and other forms of assault and armed robbery. The evidence became overwhelming. The case seemed open and shut, but in 1972, after a trial that shocked the community, a jury acquitted Leo Jackson Jr. of murder. How does a man with all of those arrests get acquitted of murdering a civil rights leader when the evidence clearly showed she was stabbed in the back? Lynn's friends and family were devastated. Her close friend, Jean, had said it was a shock.

It still is a shock. When the word came back, we were just in total disbelief. Tragic. Very sad. Many in the community believed that racism played a role in the verdict. Here was a young black woman who had dared to break barriers, to challenge the status quo, and to wear a crown that some felt she didn't deserve. After the acquittal, no one else was ever charged in connection with Lynn Yuzan's death.

The case remains officially unsolved, a cold case that has haunted Houston for more than five has haunted Houston for more than five decades. Lynn's death certificate simply states she was stabbed in the back. Her niece, Andrea Usan, says the family has never gotten closure. Her death left an indelible mark, Andrea said, but then so did her life. But then, so did her life.

In 1976, five years after her death, the University of Houston dedicated Lynn Yuzhan Park, a 4.6-acre park in the center of campus where diverse groups gather, just as Lynne would have wanted. In 2018, nearly 50 years after she helped create it, the university finally approved a bachelor's degree in African American studies, the program that Lynne fought to establish. Lynne Yuzan was so much more than just a homecoming queen.

She was a journalist, activist, advocate, organizer, and a trailblazer who helped change the face of higher education in the South. She wanted to bring social justice, not just to the UH campus, but to the surrounding communities and beyond. Today, more than 50 years later, Lynn Yuzan's murder remains unsolved.

The Houston Police Department lists her case as legally open, though no active investigation is currently underway. However, in 2013, Leo Jackson, the man who was acquitted of her murder, had passed away, taking away any secrets he might have had along with him. Lynn's case leaves a list of haunting questions. Was she targeted because of her activism?

Her crown? Did her pioneering spirit make her enemies? And will her family ever truly get the justice they deserve? One thing is for sure, Lynn Yuzhan broke down walls and opened doors that can never be closed again. Her death remains unsolved, but her impact is undeniable. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Lynn Yuzan. Anyone with information about her case

should contact the Houston Police Department. Their contact information can be found in the description box below. As we close out this episode, don't forget to click the follow button to stay updated on this case and others like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and

TikTok for more true crime updates. Thank you so much for joining us on another episode. Until next time. visit the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. From iHeart podcast, before social media, before cable news, there was Alan Berg. He was the first and the original shock shock. That scratchy reverent kind of way talking to people and telling them that you're an idiot and I'm gonna hang up on you. This is Live Wire, the loud life and shocking murder of Alan Berg. And he pointed to the Denver phone book and said, well, there are probably two million

suspects. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Maybe you've heard that Stonewall was a riot where queer people fought back against police, or that it's the reason Pride is celebrated this time of year. It was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done. Legend says Marsha P. Johnson threw the very first brick. Started banging on the door of the Stonewall like one boom. This week on Afterlives, we'll separate the truth from the myth in the life of Marsha P. Johnson.

Listen to Afterlives on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Did it occur to you that he'd charmed you in any way? Yes, it did, but he was a charming man. It looks like the ingredients of a really grand spy story here, because this ties together the Cold War with the new one.

I often ask myself now, did I know the true Jan at all? Listen to Hot Money, Agent of Chaos on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.