Walter White (July 1, 1893-March 21, 1955)

Abstract 1893 Born to George and Madeline Harrison White on July l in Atlanta, Georgia. 1905 Witnesses the Atlanta race riot at the age of twelve. Helping to defend his home and family against a mob of bloodthirsty whites, he realizes his identity as an African American. 1912 Enters Atlanta University’s freshman class. 1916 Graduates from Atlanta University and works as an insurance agent for Standard Insurance Company in Atlanta. Helps to form the Atlanta branch of the NAACP and spearheads the campaign against the mounting racial discrimination as practiced by the Atlanta Board of Education. 1917 Meets James Weldon Johnson in Atlanta. Johnson persuades him to join the staff of the national office of the NAACP. 1918 Joins the staff of the NAACP in New York City on January 31. His major areas of responsibility include helping to coordinate the legal program. 1919 Volunteers to undertake the dangerous task of investigating some of the most sinister crimes of lynching in the south. Because of his blue eyes, blond hair, and overall Caucasian appearance, is able to “pass.” The NAACP uses his findings as data for their publication Thirty Years of Lynching. This work, the first statistical analysis of lynching, is published by the Association.