Anniston Public Library Desegregation

Desegregation of Anniston Public Library began on September 15, 1963, when two African American pastors, Reverends William B. McClain and Nimrod Q. Reynolds, peacefully attempted to enter the building. Their actions were endorsed by the city of Anniston Human Relations Council, which was pursuing desegregation of public institutions in Anniston. As they approached the library, several white men attacked them, injuring both men and seriously wounding Reynolds. The next day, Reverends J. Phillips Noble and George Smitherman, City Commissioner Miller Sproull, and library board members Charlie Doster and Carelton Lentz accompanied McClain as he entered without incident and checked out a book.

Anniston, Alabama · United States