Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Z. Alexander Looby

Zephaniah Alexander Looby, was born in Antigua, British West Indies, on April 8, 1899. After the death of his father, young Looby departed for the United States, arriving by 1914. Looby received a bachelor's degree from Howard University, a Bachelor of Law degree from Columbia University, and a Doctor of Juristic Science from New York University. He helped to found the Kent College of Law, Nashville's first law school for blacks since the old Central Tennessee College's department of law. When the Negro civil rights movements of World War Two began, Looby became the local leader.

During the sit-in demonstrations and civil rights marches of the 1960s, Looby and other black attorneys provided money and legal services for local college students who were arrested and jailed. On April 19, 1960, his Meharry Boulevard home was destroyed by dynamite. In 1962, he ran for a seat on the Tennessee Supreme Court but lost. He retired after serving on the old city council and the new Metropolitan Council for a combined total of twenty years. He died on March 24, 1972. His contributions to Afro-American Nashville are recognized in the Z. Alexander Looby Library and Community Center on Metro Center Boulevard.

I found it interesting that Z. Alexander Looby recieved many degrees from multiple different University's and then further went to fund the Kent College of Law. I see it as a miracle that he survived the bombing of his house by the KKK, and agree that his contributions to the African- American culture should be recognized.



One site I found useful information was http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/looby-z-alexander-1899-1972

5 comments:

  1. USEFUL INFORMATION> NOW I KNOW MORE ABOUT ALEXANDER LOOBY> THANK YOU

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think he is definitely worth recognizing; Looby was very educated and as you mentioned, this was very beneficial for the students thrown in jail! He was their loop hole.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MitchI liked how you described where he was born and all the facts that you put in and I liked the picture that you put

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think it's pretty cool that he provided money and legal services for the people participating in the sit-ins.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like the facts you put in about where he is from. I also think it's cool he provided money for the kids in college that got arrested. I feel like he was big on education.

    ReplyDelete