The Murder of Willie Brewster, July 15, 1965 - Anniston, AL
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 33° 39.510 W 085° 49.870
16S E 608371 N 3724904
Located at West 11th Street and Gurnee Avenue, Anniston
Waymark Code: WM15XPN
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 03/18/2022
Views: 1
Side 1
Willie Brewster became the target of white extremists after words spoken at a National States Rights Party encouraged them to commit acts of violence against blacks. As Brewster drove home with co-workers from the night shift at Union Foundry, he was shot in the neck.
Upon his death three days later, The Anniston Star published a full-page advertisement offering a $20,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of his killer. It was endorsed by 268 black and white Annistonians.
Hubert Damon Strange was convicted for killing Brewster on December 2, 1965. It was the first instance in Alabama history when a white jury penalized a white person for racial murder.
Continued on reverse
Side 2
"We, as a community, are determined that those who advocate and commit secret acts of violence will not control this country. We are determined to fight with the weapons of law to retain the dignity of this community and to punish those who struck down a respectable and industrious citizen."
——The Anniston Star, Sunday, July 18, 1965, Page 5-A
See Reverse
Marker Name: The Murder of Willie Brewster, July 15, 1965
Marker Type: Urban
Addtional Information::
Erected by City of Anniston Historic Trails Program
A part of the Anniston Civil Rights Trail
Date Dedicated / Placed: 2016
Marker Number: 4
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