Litany for Z. Alexander Looby and the 60th Anniversary of Walk in Love
Written by Sara Eccleston, Johniene Thomas, Richard Britton, and Monna Mayhall on behalf of the EDTN Beloved Community Commission.
Most merciful God, we come to you on this the 60th anniversary to remember the witness of Z. Alexander Looby, an Episcopalian whose home was bombed in an act of racial terrorism due his role as a defense attorney for civil rights demonstrators, and the resultant march to the Public Square in protest of racial violence, segregation, and injustice.
We give you thanks for the legacy of Z. Alexander Looby, a faithful member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Nashville, who courageously defended those fighting for racial equality, and who advocated and arranged for the purchase of the land for St. Anselm Episcopal Church and Student Center near the campuses of Fisk University, Tennessee State University and Meharry Medical College. Inspire us by his legacy to use our faith and resources to foster justice, healing, and reconciliation in our diocese and world. Lord, hear our prayer. Click here to continue the litany.
Walk in Love: Recalling the Untold Story of Our Brother in Christ, Atty. Z. Alexander Looby
Written by Natasha Deane and Sara Eccleston on behalf of the EDTN Beloved Community Commission
In the early morning of April 19th, 1960, white supremacists threw a bomb into the home of Z. Alexander Looby, a prominent Nashvillebased civil rights attorney and member of Holy Trinity Episcopal church. The bomb was so powerful it blew out the front of Looby’s home, as well as the windows of a Meharry Medical College dormitory across the street. Looby and his wife were in the back of the house and survived the blast, taking shelter in the rectory of the chapel next door. After the bombing, thousands of students from Tennessee State University, Fisk University, and Meharry Medical College gathered at the site and began a spontaneous silent march up Jefferson street, past the State Capital to Public Square. There, leaders of Nashville’s NonViolent Student Movement (including Diane Nash and C.T. Vivian) confronted then Mayor Ben West to demand changes to the policies of racial segregation that shaped the city. This famous march, included in most narratives about the national Civil Rights movement (including the display in the Nashville Public Library and a recent exhibit at the Frist), is largely credited with desegregating the city of Nashville. While many know this story or have seen the famous picture, few people, particularly within our own diocese, know that Z. Alexander Looby was Episcopalian. Click here to continue reading.