Do you know who William Lewis Moore was? William Moore was a white man who fought against segregation. Moore did many important things in his life. He stood up for what he believed in. He also influenced other people to do stand up for what is right. William Moore helped end segregation.
William Moore's life was full of unusual events. He served with the Marines on Guam in World War Two. He got a degree in social sciences and had studied in France and England. When William came back to the U.S. he became depressed because one of his mentors had died. He institutionalized himself. The diary he kept while he was hospitalized became a book. When he got out in 1954, he started one of the first support groups for recovering mental patients. He published a monthly magazine that had helpful medical articles in it and then he got a job as a social worker. After that he became a substitute teacher. He finally took a job with the U.S. Postal Service. He married a woman named Mary, who liked his uniqueness and gave him confidence to go after his dreams. He switched jobs as a letter carrier, moving from Binghamton to Baltimore. He used his free time for writing and demonstrating.
William Moore would always stand up for what he believed in. Once in 1963, he stood in line for a white only movie theater with some black students. They wanted to buy tickets. The police arrived and arrested them for trespassing. William was arrested and he spent the night in jail. Another time he marched by himself in 16-degree weather in front of a court house, carrying a sign that said “Turn toward Peace.” Moore felt that individuals could create social change by acting on their beliefs. He made his point by walking. He walked alone from Baltimore to the state capitol to protest segregation. After he did that he walked to Washington, D.C., to deliver a letter to President Kennedy at the White House. William Moore made plans for an even longer walk. He planned to walk from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi. He wanted to deliver a letter to the governor of Mississippi asking him to accept integration. Finally the day came for William to start his walk; it was April 21, 1963. A little while after he had crossed the Alabama state line some people in cars went by. They called him a “nigger lover” and threw rocks at him. Just south of Collbran, Alabama, a white store owner named Floyd Simpson heard about him. He found Moore and they stopped to talk. Later, on Highway II, William stopped to rest. While he was resting he was shot and killed. Law enforcement officials were later to prove it was Simpson's gun. Although he was murdered, Moore died for a good cause.
William Moore influenced other people to stand up for what is right. After his death, Moore earned public respect that he never had when he was alive. The governor of Alabama and President Kennedy denounced the killing. Civil rights organizations held marches and memorial services. Within a month, twenty-nine other people were arrested in Alabama for trying to finish the walk that William Moore had started. They carried signs that said “Mississippi or Bust.” Many other people walked to other destinations to try to make a point about segregation. This movement was all started by William Moore.
William Moore was a white man who fought against segregation. He accomplished many things in his life. He always acted on what he believed was right. He also influenced other people to stand up for what they believed in. William Moore played a small but very important part in the fight against segregation.
