Edgar Nixon - Early Activism

Early Activism

Edgar D. Nixon was born on July 12, 1899 in Montgomery, Alabama. As a child, Nixon received about one year of formal education. After working in a train station baggage room, he finally became a Pullman car porter. Years before the bus boycott, Nixon had started campaigning for voting rights and civil rights for African Americans in Montgomery, as they had been essentially disfranchised since the around the start of the 20th century by changes in the Alabama state constitution and electoral laws. He served as an unelected advocate for the African-American community, helping individuals deal with uncooperative white office holders, policemen, and civil servants. In 1940, Nixon organized 750 African-American men to march to the Montgomery County courthouse and attempt to register to vote. In 1954, he ran for a seat on the county Democratic Executive Committee. The next year, he questioned the Democratic candidates for the Montgomery City Commission on their positions on civil rights issues.