Six decades after civil rights, a new era of protest in Nashville
The march started in North Nashville, near the home of Z. Alexander Looby, a Black lawyer and city councilman whose house had been bombed the day before. It began as 1,500 protesters, walking silently. By the time it reached its destination – the city courthouse – there were an estimated 3,000.
April 19, 1960 was a turning point for Nashville’s sit-in movement. Since February, students had been trying to integrate the city’s lunch counters. The bundle of dynamite thrown at Mr. Looby’s home convinced the public that the resistance had become more extreme than the protesters. Meeting the marchers outside the courthouse, Nashville’s mayor relented.
Yesterday, more than six decades later, another crowd marched through Nashville. It started as a small protest on the plaza of city hall. By the time it reached the statehouse,
