William L. Moore
William Lewis Moore (born April 28, 1927 in Binghamton , New York , † April 23, 1963 near Attalla, Alabama ) was a postman from Baltimore and civil rights activist .
With several marches, during which he always ran alone, he protested against racism in the southern United States and personally delivered letters he had written himself. On his first march he ran to Annapolis , the capital of Maryland . The second led to the White House , in his letter he informed John F. Kennedy that he intended to go to Mississippi and said “If I may deliver any letters from you to those on my line of travel, I would be most happy to do so. ”(I would be very happy if I could distribute letters from you to those I meet on my way). On his third protest march, he walked with two signs that read “End Segregation in America” and “Equal Right for all Men”. He wanted to go to Jackson to personally hand over a letter to the local governor Ross Barnett , in which he urged him to integrate blacks and intended to educate about the equality of blacks and whites. On April 23, 1963, he was interviewed by Charlie Hicks, a reporter for WGAD Radio Station, who had received an anonymous phone call with clues about Moore's whereabouts.
An hour later, a motorcyclist found Moore lying dead by a road only half a mile away. He was shot three times in the forehead at close range from a 22-caliber rifle. The gun was registered to a Floyd Simpson he'd discussed earlier that day. A penalty was never imposed.
His letter was found and opened, it said, “Whites can never really be free until all people have their rights,” and he asked the governor to be kind and to do more than was previously required of him.
The German songwriter Wolf Biermann processed Moore's story in the ballad by the postman William L. Moore , which was also performed by the American singer Hedy West in the mid-1960s. The American songwriter Phil Ochs also dedicated a protest song to Moore.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Manfred Krug and the Jazz Optimists Berlin play Wolf Biermann's ballad by the postman William L. Moore from Baltimore
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Moore, William L. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Moore, William Lewis (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American civil rights activist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 28, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Binghamton , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 23, 1963 |
| Place of death | near Attalla , Alabama |