William G. Anderson, 98, Dies After Leading Albany's 1961 Desegregation Drive

2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 9

William G. Anderson died Aug. 16 at his home in Detroit at 98, his daughter confirmed, closing the life of the doctor who led Albany, Georgia's civil rights campaign.
In 1961, Anderson set aside his medical practice to head the Albany Movement, which pressed to integrate local businesses and challenge discrimination in interstate bus travel.
Some 1,200 demonstrators were arrested over a year, including Anderson, and the swelling crackdown drew national attention that prompted him to seek help from Martin Luther King Jr.
King and Ralph Abernathy then spent months organizing in Albany and were arrested there too, placing the campaign at a pivotal point between the Montgomery bus boycott and the 1963 Birmingham drive.