WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)

Description

In this WSB newsfilm clip from April 19, 1960 an unidentified reporter interviews civil rights lawyer and city councilman Z. Alexander Looby after his home in Nashville, Tennessee was bombed.The clip begins in the middle of the reporter's question to Z. Alexander Looby about the increased racial tension in Southern cities caused by student-led sit-ins. Looby recognizes that some communities, including Nashville, have experienced heightened racial tension since the sit-ins began in February. However, he attributes the bombing of his home to "the hoodlum element in our community," declaring it an isolated incident. Asked if the sit-ins and other civil rights direct action has been worth the growth of racial tension and the threat of violence and mob action, Looby expresses his hope that there will not be violence and asserts that the movement is worth the risk of "some possible violence." He cautions that African Americans no longer accept continued segregation despite fears of possible violence.The home of Nashville city councilman Z. Alexander Looby was bombed early in the morning of April 19, 1960. Looby and his wife were not harmed in the attack. Looby, a lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), served as chief council for the 153 Nashville students that had been arrested in the two months of sit-in demonstrations. The bomb caused damage to other homes in the neighborhood and blew out nearly one hundred fifty windows in Meharry Medical College across the street. In response to the bombing, over...

Record Contributed By

Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia