Week 29 – CIVIL RIGHTS – W. W. Law Brings Change to Jekyll Island

Westley Wallace Law was born in Savannah in 1923, the eldest of three children and his parents’ only son. Law’s father died during his son’s childhood, and by age ten, Law had begun working to support his family. He continued his education and found time to serve as a member of the NAACP Youth Council during high school, later becoming president of the Youth Council during his years at Georgia State College (now Savannah State University). His work in civil rights, begun at an early age, was inspired by several figures: his mother Geneva, his grandmother Lillie Belle Wallace, his mentor Ralph Mark Gilbert (the pastor of Savannah’s First African Baptist Church), and his childhood scoutmaster John S. Delaware. Both Gilbert and Delaware also worked with the NAACP in Savannah.

In 1950, W. W. Law became the president of the Savannah chapter of the NAACP. Over the next twenty-six years, he advocated for change in Savannah and beyond—and his sphere of influence included Glynn County and the Golden Isles. Change had come to the area in the late 1950s and early 1960s, propelled by leaders like Reverend Julius Caesar Hope of Brunswick and by events like Maurice Ruddick’s visit to the Golden Isles. In 1963, Law and a group of civil rights leaders would focus their efforts on Jekyll Island, hoping to advance the cause of desegregation on state-owned land.

By 1955, Jekyll Island had designated St. Andrews Beach, at the island’s southern end, for use by African Americans. Local and tourist interest led to the construction of a beach pavilion and other facilities near St. Andrews Beach, eventually including the Dolphin Club Motel and Lounge as both lodging for visitors and a stop on the Chitlin Circuit, where black performers played for black audiences. Despite this progress, there were still many facilities on Jekyll which black visitors could not access. In 1963, W. W. Law, along with Julius Caesar Hope and a group of 25 others, visited Jekyll Island. The group used a picnic area and visited a drugstore, but were denied access to many other facilities, including motels, beach pavilions outside of St. Andrews, the island’s indoor swimming pool, its amusement park, and its golf courses. According to Law, “a cafeteria [on the island] shut its doors rather than serve his group.”

Law and his group, which was comprised of members of both Savannah’s and Brunswick’s chapters of the NAACP, quickly turned their findings into action. They filed a lawsuit, Law v. Jekyll Island State Park Authority. This led to a district court decision the very next year. In 1964, thanks to efforts by W. W. Law, Julius Caesar Hope, and other members of this group of civil rights pioneers, all facilities on Jekyll Island were officially integrated.