Z. Alexander Looby devoted a lot of his life to the civil rights movement. He was born in the British West Indies in the year of 1899. After the death of his father in 1914, he immigrated to the United States. Looby received a degree in law at Columbia University. In 1926, he was offered a job at Fisk University in Nashville. In 1946, Looby teamed up with Thurgood Marshall and defended twenty three African Americans who were being accused of murder after riots in Tennessee! The two were able to get all 23 found not guilty. This was a big moment for Looby. Just a short six years later, Looby was elected to Nashville's city council, becoming the first African American to serve since 1911. In 1960, he was the head of the twelve member defense team, sponsored by NAACP to represent the students participating in the "sit-ins." Just a few weeks after Looby arranged the release of 100 student protesters, his home was blasted by dynamite and destroyed. He was not harmed but later died in 1972 of a prolonged illness.
I found it super cool that Looby was just a small lawyer and ended up becoming apart of the city council! It is evident that Looby was a supporter of the civil right movements! He wanted to support these students and protestors no matter what happened. Even if it cost him his life.
http://ww2.tnstate.edu/library/digital/looby.htm
Looby acquired the dedication that I wish I had. He managed to come from nothing and turned into a big shot lawyer who succeeded in something incredible.
ReplyDeleteHe picked himself up from nothing and had many great accomplishments in his life. People should learn from him.
ReplyDeleteHelping to find ALL 23 of those people not guilty is a huge accomplishment. Also sad that his house was blown up after him just trying to help out a good movement.
ReplyDeletehelping to find all 23 of them not guilty is quite an accomplishment. Even as a professor at Fisk University, he found himself being subjected to the racism all african americans faced.
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