Jo Ann Robinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jo Ann Gibson Robinson
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Booking photograph of Robinson
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| Born | April 17, 1912 near Culloden, Georgia,
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| Died | August 29, 1992 (aged 80) |
| Alma mater | Atlanta University (M.A.) |
| Known for | Montgomery bus boycott |
Jo Ann Gibson Robinson (born April 17, 1912 – died August 29, 1992) was an important leader during the Civil Rights Movement. She was also a teacher in Montgomery, Alabama. She played a key role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jo Ann Gibson was born on April 17, 1912, near Culloden, Georgia. She was the youngest of twelve children. Her parents, Owen Boston and Dollie Webb Gibson, owned a farm. When Jo Ann was only six years old, her father passed away.
After her father's death, Jo Ann, her mother, and her siblings moved to Macon, Georgia. Jo Ann was a very good student. She was the top student in her high school class. She was the first person in her family to graduate from college. She attended Fort Valley State College.
College and Teaching Career
Robinson earned her Bachelor's degree from Fort Valley State College in 1934. After college, she became a public school teacher in Macon. She was married to Wilbur Robinson for a short time.
Five years later, she moved to Atlanta. There, she earned a Master's degree in English from Atlanta University. She continued to study English at New York's Columbia University. Later, she taught at Mary Allen College in Texas. She then accepted a teaching job at Alabama State College (now Alabama State University) in Montgomery.
Joining the Women's Political Council
In Montgomery, Alabama, Robinson joined the Women's Political Council (WPC). This group was started by Mary Fair Burks three years earlier. The WPC worked to help African Americans improve their lives. They wanted to encourage more African Americans to vote. They also worked to get women involved in community issues.
Fighting Bus Segregation
In 1949, Robinson had a bad experience on a bus. A bus driver spoke harshly to her for sitting in the "Whites only" section. This section was empty. Fearing the situation would get worse, she left the bus. This event made her want to start a protest against bus segregation.
When she told other WPC members, they said it was just "a fact of life in Montgomery." But Robinson did not give up. In late 1950, she became the president of the WPC. She helped the group focus on unfair treatment on buses.
Robinson met with Montgomery's mayor, William A. Gayle. She also met with the City Hall council. But they were not interested in her concerns. So, Robinson decided to organize a boycott herself. She was a strong voice against how African Americans were treated on public transportation. She was also active in the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
The WPC complained to the city about bus seating and rude drivers. They achieved some small wins. Drivers promised to be polite. Buses also agreed to stop at every corner in Black neighborhoods, just like in white areas.
After the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling in 1954, Robinson warned the mayor that a boycott would happen.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
On Thursday, December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested. She refused to give up her seat in the Black section of a bus to a white passenger. Parks, a civil rights organizer, wanted to challenge the unfair rules.
That night, with Parks' permission, Robinson worked hard. She used a machine to make 35,000 flyers. These flyers called for a boycott of the Montgomery bus system. John Cannon, a business department chairman, and two students helped her.
The boycott was supported by many people. Robinson said in a 1976 interview, "That boycott was not supported by a few people; it was supported by 52,000 people." The boycott was first planned for only the following Monday. Robinson handed out flyers at a meeting of AME Zionist ministers. Reverend L. Roy Bennett asked other ministers to attend a meeting that Friday night. He urged their church members to join the boycott. Robinson, Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, two of her students, and other WPC members also gave flyers to high school students.
After the first day's success, Black citizens decided to continue the boycott. They formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was chosen as its president. Robinson did not join the MIA officially. She declined a formal position because of her teaching job at Alabama State. However, she served on its executive board. She also edited their newsletter at Dr. King's request.
Robinson also helped organize carpools for African Americans to get to work. Dr. King noticed her hard work. In his book, Stride Towards Freedom, he wrote about Robinson. He said, "Apparently indefatigable, she, perhaps more than any other person, was active on every level of protest." To protect her job and her colleagues, Robinson stayed out of the public eye. But she worked very hard with the MIA. Robinson and other WPC members also helped keep the boycott going by providing rides for people.
Challenges and Success
Robinson faced several threats. She was arrested many times. In February 1956, someone threw a stone through her house window. Two weeks later, another person poured acid on her car. The violence became so bad that the governor of Alabama ordered state police to guard the homes of boycott leaders.
The boycott lasted over a year. The bus company would not agree to the protesters' demands. Finally, on December 20, 1956, the boycotts ended. A federal court ruled that segregated seating was against the law. Robinson was very proud of the boycott's success.
In her book, Robinson wrote, "An oppressed but brave people, whose pride and dignity rose to the occasion, conquered fear, and faced whatever perils had to be confronted. The boycott was the most beautiful memory that all of us who participated will carry to our final resting place." The Montgomery bus boycott gave people hope. It inspired other protests and showed the importance of nonviolence, which Dr. King taught.
After a student sit-in protest in early 1960, Robinson and other teachers who supported the students left their jobs at Alabama State College. Robinson moved out of Montgomery that year. She taught at Grambling College in Louisiana for one year. Then she moved to Los Angeles. There, she taught English in public schools. In Los Angeles, she continued to be active in women's groups. Robinson taught in LA schools until she retired in 1976.
Robinson was strongly against unfair treatment. She inspired many young women to join the fight for civil rights. Robinson said, "Women's leadership was no less important to the development of the Montgomery Bus Boycott than was the male and minister-dominated leadership."
Robinson's book, The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It, was published in 1987. It was edited by David J. Garrow.
Legacy and Recognition
In 2021, the Georgia Historical Society placed a historical marker. It marks the birthplace of Jo Ann Gibson Robinson in Monroe County, Georgia.
On September 17, 2021, the Alabama State University board of trustees voted. They decided to name a residence hall after Robinson. The naming ceremony happened in April 2022.
Personal Life
Robinson was a member of The Links, a group for Black women.
