5 Years that Changed Savannah Forever:
Reflecting on the Civil Rights Movement
through the W.W. Law Collection
An Exhibit by the City of Savannah Municipal Archives
Westley Wallace "W. W." Law (1923-2002)
W. W. Law (1923-2002) was a prominent Civil Rights leader, local historian, historic preservationist and community leader in Savannah, Georgia.
Westley Wallace Law was born on January 1, 1923 in Savannah, Georgia, the oldest of three children of Geneva Wallace and Westley Law. He was greatly influenced by his mother, Geneva W. Law, grandmother, Lillie Belle Wallace, mentor, Reverend Ralph Mark Gilbert, and scoutmaster, John S. Delaware. Both Reverend Gilbert and Delaware were officials in the Savannah chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Law joined the NAACP Youth Council in high school and later served as its president.
He attended Georgia State Industrial College (now Savannah State University) before being drafted into the U. S. Army during World War II. After he completed his military service, he finished his bachelor’s degree in biology. Law was a long-time boy scoutmaster for Troop 49 which was made up of boys from First Bryan Baptist Church, of which he was a member and
Sunday school teacher. He was a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service for over forty years.
From 1950-1976 Law served as President of the Savannah chapter of the NAACP. During the 1960s, he led weekly mass meetings at Bolton Street Baptist Church and St. Philip A.M.E. Church during which he urged “passive resistance to segregation” and nonviolent protests. He was involved in efforts to desegregate Grayson Municipal Stadium, department store lunch counters on Broughton Street, and the beaches at Tybee Island. He led an eighteen-month boycott of Broughton Street merchants. Law is largely credited for helping to keep Savannah’s Civil Rights movement more peaceful than those in other southern cities. In 1961, he was fired from his postal job because of his Civil Rights activities, but reinstated after national NAACP leaders and President John F. Kennedy came to his defense.
After finishing his run as NAACP president, he focused his efforts on preserving Savannah’s African American History. He established the Savannah-Yamacraw Branch of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH), the King-Tisdell Cottage Museum, Beach Institute African American Cultural Center, the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, and the Negro Heritage Trail Tour. He also helped bring attention to and preserve Laurel Grove South Cemetery, the City’s historically African American municipal cemetery.
Law received honorary doctorates from the Savannah College of Art & Design and Savannah State University. He was honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation for his preservation efforts in the community. W. W. Law died on July 28, 2002 at his home in Savannah
Archival Collections
The W.W. Law Archival Collections are comprised of materials that reflect Mr. Law's personal and professional life. Highlights of the collection include the Photograph collection with over 2000 images, the NAACP Savannah Branch records, and the ASALH and Related Cultural Organizations records that detail the activities of the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, the King Tisdell Cottage, and the Beach Institute African American Cultural Center.
For more information on the collection and up-to-date finding aids, visit: https://www.savannahga.gov/1909/W-W-Law-Collection
Collections Include:
ASALH and Related Cultural Organizations Records
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) - Savannah Branch Records
W. W. Law Art Collection
W. W. Law Awards Collection
W. W. Law Book Collection
W. W. Law Moving Image and Sound Collection
W. W. Law Music Collection
W. W. Law Pamphlet Collection
W. W. Law Periodical Collection
W. W. Law Personal Papers
W. W. Law Photograph Collection
W. W. Law Reference Files