Willie Edwards was an African-American man who lived in Montgomery, Alabama during the civil rights movement. He worked as a truck driver for the Montgomery County Highway Department and was a member of the local NAACP chapter.
The Incident
On January 23, 1957, Willie Edwards received a late-night phone call from a man claiming to be a police officer. The man told Edwards that his wife was in jail and he needed to come down to the station to bail her out.
Edwards, who was at home with his wife and three children, got dressed and left his house. He never returned.
The Discovery
The next day, Edwards' truck was found abandoned on a bridge over the Alabama River. His coat and hat were inside the truck, but there was no sign of Edwards.
Days later, his body was discovered in the river. He had been shot in the head.
The Investigation
An investigation was launched into Edwards' death, but the Montgomery Police Department did little to solve the case. The department claimed that Edwards had committed suicide, despite the fact that he had been shot in the head.
Edwards' family and the local NAACP chapter were outraged by the lack of action by the police department. They believed that Edwards had been murdered and that the police were covering up the crime.
The Truth is Revealed
Years later, it was revealed that Willie Edwards' death was not a suicide, but a murder. The killer was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Klan member, who was never identified, had targeted Edwards because of his involvement in the civil rights movement. He had used the phone call to lure Edwards out of his house and then kidnapped and killed him.
The Legacy
Willie Edwards' death was a tragic loss for his family and the civil rights movement. It was also a stark reminder of the violence and hatred that African-Americans faced during this time period.
However, Edwards' death was not in vain. It brought attention to the need for change and justice in the United States, and helped to spur on the civil rights movement.
Conclusion
The story of Willie Edwards' death is a heartbreaking one, but it is an important reminder of the struggles that African-Americans faced during the civil rights movement. His death helped to bring attention to the need for change and justice, and his legacy lives on today.
