W.W.LAW

Local Civil Rights leader and preservationist, W.W. Law is an indelible part of Savannah’s history. He was a lettercarrier, a Boy Scout leader, a president of the local NAACP chapter, a historian, an advocate, an organizer and so much more. Law committed his life to the advancement of all people, championing civil rights and working to protect Savannah’s rich historical and cultural legacy.

At the beginning of the new year, the community came together to celebrate Law’s centennial birthday, commemorating the exceptional activist and his myriad contributions to our society, locally and nationally. On Jan. 5, an audience gathered at The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc. for a special panel honoring Law’s instrumental influence, which is still being felt long after his passing in 2002. Law was born on Emancipation Day, Jan. 1, 1923, sixty years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.

“That entry into the world foreshadowed his lifelong fight for equality, justice and freedom for all,” said Luciana Spracher, the director of the City of Savannah’s Municipal Archives. Spracher presented a selection of images and artifacts from the city’s W.W. Law collection at the panel.

The city maintains a collection of more than 2,000 cubic feet featuring archival materials that Law amassed throughout his life. The collection constitutes an amalgamation of correspondence, books, music, art and photographs that represent Law’s diverse interests. Former Mayor, Dr. Otis Johnson described Law as a Renaissance man.

“He was not just a Black leader. He was a human rights leader, and he could talk to you about Mozart. He could talk to you about the spirituals. He had all kinds of artwork in his collection and all kinds of books across the spectrum of race, class and gender,” Johnson explained.

Johnson was joined by Georgia House Representative and former Mayor Edna Jackson and Carolyn Blackshear, who is president of the Savannah-Yamacraw Branch of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, which Law founded. Moderated by journalist and author Wanda Lloyd, the panelists reflected on their time with Law and the impact he had on each of their lives.

“He meant a whole lot to my life,” Jackson began. “Mr. Law saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. . . He saw the spirit that I had within and he took that and balled it all up and made me one of the leaders in the NAACP.”

Law joined the NAACP Youth Council in 1942 at the age of 19. Throughout his time with the organization, he ascended the ranks becoming the Youth Council president, the national chairman for the annual youth conference and eventually the president of the Savannah NAACP, a role in which he served for 26 years. Through his leadership, he inspired many people from all demographics to get involved in the fight for equality and justice.

“The genius of Mr. Law is that he always had a plan. And the plan made so much sense that to resist the plan was to exhibit your racism or your ignorance . . . So, as he moved through the community to build these coalitions, he had the plan. He was reasonable, and he had the stature in the community,” Johnson recalled.

“The Civil Rights movement was more of a team effort and it was because of the leadership of Mr. Law. . . He saw the good in people and what they had to offer,” Jackson added.

After his time with the NAACP, “Law turned his full attention to preserving the history, landmarks and heritage of Savannah’s African American community,” said Spracher.

He was instrumental in establishing the Beach Institute, the King Tisdell Cottage and the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, all of which are important aspects of Black history locally. He worked with the Historic Savannah Foundation to identify restoration projects and received an award for these efforts from the National Trust. He also received the Richard R. Wright Award of Excellence in 1973 and the Outstanding Humanitarian Award in 1994 from the Longshoremen’s Association.

Despite his many accomplishments and accolades, Law never memorialized himself in an autobiography, a fact that his surviving contemporaries lament.

“All throughout his lifetime, he resisted lifting himself up. He wanted to be among the people and be thought of as one of the people. He was a real egalitarian,” said Johnson, who likened Law’s passing to “a library burning down.”

Though he has departed, his legacy lives on in the lives of those he touched and the institutions he helped to raise up. He will forever be remembered for his visionary and charismatic leadership, his preservation efforts and his unwavering commitment to the causes of equality and human rights for all.

To learn more about W.W. Law and to view his archival collection, visit savannahga.gov/1908/W-W-Law.