W. W. Law
Encyclopedia
Westley Wallace Law was a civil rights leader from Savannah
, Georgia
. He was president of the Savannah chapter of the NAACP, where he led his community and made great strides in desegregation through nonviolent resistance
from 1950 to 1976. After his time with the NAACP W. W. Law spent much of the rest of his life advocating for African-American history and culture in Savannah. To this end he established the Savannah-Yamacraw Branch of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, the King-Tisdell Cottage Museum, the Beach Institute of African American Culture, and the Negro Heritage Trail Tour.
. His college career was interrupted when he was drafted into military service in World War II
. W. W. Law returned from the war and, with the help of the GI Bill, returned to college where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology.
After graduation Law worked as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for more than forty years. His job with the Postal Service was endangered, however, when he was fired for his civil rights activism. President John F. Kennedy
and the NAACP stepped in quickly upon hearing of Law's firing and he was reinstated in his job. Mr. Law retired from the Postal Service in 1990. Westley Wallace Law died on July 29, 2002 at his home in Savannah,Georgia.
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. He was president of the Savannah chapter of the NAACP, where he led his community and made great strides in desegregation through nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...
from 1950 to 1976. After his time with the NAACP W. W. Law spent much of the rest of his life advocating for African-American history and culture in Savannah. To this end he established the Savannah-Yamacraw Branch of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, the King-Tisdell Cottage Museum, the Beach Institute of African American Culture, and the Negro Heritage Trail Tour.
Background
W. W. Law was the only son and eldest of three children born to Geneva Wallace and Westley Law. He began working at the age of ten to help his recently widowed mother while also attending school. In high school, Law joined the NAACP Youth Council and later served as the council's president while in college at Georgia State CollegeSavannah State University
Savannah State University is a four-year, state-supported, historically black university located in Savannah, Georgia. Savannah State holds the distinction as the oldest public historically black university in Georgia...
. His college career was interrupted when he was drafted into military service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. W. W. Law returned from the war and, with the help of the GI Bill, returned to college where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology.
After graduation Law worked as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for more than forty years. His job with the Postal Service was endangered, however, when he was fired for his civil rights activism. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and the NAACP stepped in quickly upon hearing of Law's firing and he was reinstated in his job. Mr. Law retired from the Postal Service in 1990. Westley Wallace Law died on July 29, 2002 at his home in Savannah,Georgia.