Al Raby

Albert Anderson Raby (1933 – November 23, 1988) was a teacher at Chicago's Hess Upper Grade Center who secured the support of Martin Luther King Jr. to desegregate schools and housing in Chicago between 1965 and 1967.

Raby was born into poverty in Chicago, dropping out of school in the sixth grade. However, he became involved in a union, and, after a stint in the army, earned his grammar school diploma at age 24. He went on to earn his high school diploma immediately after that. Because he discovered education was important so late in his life, he attended day and evening school to earn his high school diploma. In 1960, he earned a teaching degree from Chicago Teachers College and entered the profession.

Raby was an active member of the Teachers for Integrated Schools and helped form the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO) in 1962. In this role, he served as the link between the national civil rights movement and Chicago organizations in helping to desegregate schools. TFIS selected him to be their delegate to the CCCO. On January 11, 1964, he was appointed the organization’s convenor (Anderson and Pickering 129).

The CCCO was crucial in bringing the national civil rights movement to Chicago. When Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Chicago on his People to People tour, he recognized that the "CCCO represented the strongest indigenous civil rights movement in the North", [Ralph 39] and he appreciated the help he received during his three-day visit. When the movement was officially launched, Raby became its co-chairman.

As a member of the Agenda Committee, Raby was instrumental in the decision to choose open housing as the initial campaign for the movement. Even before the movement began, Raby had criticized the segregationist policies of the Chicago Real Estate Board. Along with King in July 1966, he attended the initial meeting with Mayor Richard J. Daley where the demands of the movement were presented. Raby also served as a leader of open housing marches, using his position as a local leader to draw upon those in Chicago communities affected by housing segregation.

There was a significant rift between James Bevel, of SCLC, and Raby. When Raby agreed with the cancellation of a march on the Southwest Side because he feared that the focus was on white violence rather than housing discrimination, he was met with anger by Bevel.

...
Wikipedia