Liuzzo, Viola, 1925-1965

Viola Gregg Liuzzo (1925-1965) was a civil rights activist, and the first white woman killed during the American civil rights movement. In March 1965 she marched with Dr. Martin Luther King and other protestors from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. She was murdered after the march, after being seen riding in a car with Leroy Moton, a black man. In May 1965, the trial of Liuzzo's killers began, but the all-white jury could not come to a decision and a mistrial was declared. At a second trial in October 1965, the men were found not guilty of murder. In the federal trial, the defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to violate the civil rights of Liuzzo, and were sentenced to ten years in prison, a landmark in Southern legal history.

From the description of Liuzzo, Viola, 1925-1965 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10573567