Zelma Wyche facts for kids

Zelma Charles Wyche (January 24, 1918 – September 24, 1999) was an African-American hero. He fought in World War II and worked hard for civil rights. Later, he became an elected leader in Tallulah, a city in northeastern Louisiana.

In 1962, Mr. Wyche and others won a court case. This allowed them to register to vote. He then helped many other African Americans in Tallulah register too. In 1969, after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed, he was elected as the city's police chief. He served for eleven years. In 1986, he was elected as mayor of Tallulah. He served one term until 1990.

Mr. Wyche became well-known for his efforts to end racial segregation. In January 1970, Ebony Magazine wrote about him. The article was called "Black Lawman in KKK Territory." This referred to the Ku Klux Klan in the South. Before becoming police chief, Mr. Wyche worked as a barber.

Early Life and Education

Zelma Wyche was born in 1918 in Tallulah, Louisiana. He grew up there and went to schools that were separated by race. Tallulah and the surrounding area had many African Americans. However, they could not vote for many years. This was common in the Jim Crow South.

Mr. Wyche learned to be a barber. This job helped him earn a good living. When he was in his 20s, he joined the U.S. Army. He served during World War II. Even before the war, he started working for civil rights. Since 1942, he led a group called "Equal Rights for Black People."

Fighting for Voting Rights

After returning from World War II, Mr. Wyche and other African-American veterans wanted change. They did not accept the unfair Jim Crow laws. They became more active in the civil rights movement. In 1947, he and seven other black men filed a lawsuit. They sued the local voter registrar and Governor Jimmie Davis. They wanted to make sure black people could vote. The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution guaranteed this right.

However, Louisiana had rules like poll taxes and literacy tests. These rules made it very hard for African Americans to register. For many decades, most African Americans in Louisiana could not vote.

Mr. Wyche and the others won their lawsuit in 1962. The court ordered that they be allowed to register. He became one of the first African Americans in Tallulah to vote and run for office since the Reconstruction period. He also helped many other African Americans register to vote. In his barbershop, Mr. Wyche often talked about his interest in law enforcement. He enjoyed TV shows like Highway Patrol and Dragnet.

Leading Civil Rights Efforts

In 1965, after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, Mr. Wyche led protests in Tallulah. These protests pushed for schools to be integrated. They also asked for more job chances for black people. He was arrested six times during these protests.

In 1966, Mr. Wyche ran for a city council seat. He lost by a small number of votes. Two years later, on February 6, 1968, he ran for Police Chief. He was the Democratic candidate. He lost to Clayton W. Cox, a Republican.

Mr. Wyche had told his supporters to vote for all Democrats. But the police chief election was a special one. It was set up differently on the voting machine. Many of his supporters thought they had voted for him. When they found out about the problem, Mr. Wyche sued for a new election. A federal judge agreed that the ballot setup was unfair.

Becoming Police Chief

Mr. Wyche won the next special election for Police Chief. He started his job on June 26, 1969. The police force already had four black and six white officers. When two white officers left, he hired two more black officers. He sent officers out in teams. In his first months, he held "sensitivity sessions." He invited the public to meet his officers. He wanted to improve relations with the community. He noted that black people had often been treated unfairly by police.

Mr. Wyche also spoke with white businesses. He promised them that he would protect them from crime. In 1965, seventeen businesses had closed rather than hire black people. This happened when African Americans boycotted them. That year, Mr. Wyche was interviewed by Stanford University for a history project.

In Tallulah and Madison Parish, white people were a minority in 1970. But for many years, they were seen as the "majority" because black people could not vote. This meant the federal government watched how elections were run.

At first, Mr. Wyche did not get much support from white people. But over time, white people slowly accepted the growing number of black voters. This was helped by Mayor William Putnam Sevier, who served from 1946 to 1974.

Time magazine described Chief Wyche in 1970:

... the massive, 6-ft. 2-in. figure swaggers down the sidewalk. There is the natty uniform with gold stars on a white starched shirt, a button open at the neck. And there is the amiable cockiness, the touch of braggadocio, the blunt cigar and the smile revealing two gold-crowned teeth. Only one anomaly destroys the stereotype: Chief Wyche is black.

Mr. Wyche was reelected twice. He served as police chief for more than two terms, until June 30, 1978. Howard Claxton, Sr. took over after him.

Mr. Wyche also led the Black Caucus for Louisiana's 5th congressional district. This district was represented by Otto Passman (D) for many years. Passman was a white conservative who did not support civil rights laws.

In 1972, Mr. Wyche was chosen to lead the Louisiana group at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. This meeting was in Miami Beach, Florida. They nominated George McGovern for president.

In 1978, Mr. Wyche was a dinner guest of U.S. President Jimmy Carter at Blair House in Washington, D.C..

Becoming Mayor

In 1986, Mr. Wyche was elected mayor of Tallulah. He won against Republican candidate William Ellis Buckner. Mr. Wyche received 1,891 votes (55.4 percent). Buckner received 1,525 votes (44.6 percent). Two other African-American candidates did not make it past the first round. These included the current mayor, Leander A. "Doc" Anthony, and Adell Williams. Adell Williams was Tallulah's first African-American mayor, elected in 1974.

In the 1986 election, Republican candidates won two of the five city council seats. One of them, Charles Michael Finlayson, has been re-elected many times.

Mr. Wyche lost his bid for a second term as mayor in 1990. Donald E. Walker won with 54.4 percent of the votes. Other candidates included former mayor Adell Williams.

Personal Life and Legacy

Mr. Wyche was the chairman of the board for Madison Parish Hospital. He was also president of the Delta Community Action Agency. He started Tallulah's first Boy Scouts of America troop. He helped build three apartment complexes, and one is named after him.

Mr. Wyche was a member of the Masonic lodge and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He was also a deacon at the Greater Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Tallulah.

Mr. Wyche and his wife, Myrtle Washington, had two children. Their daughter, Elois Wyche, lives in Decatur, Georgia. Their son, Dr. Ronald Charles Wyche, lives in Tallulah.

Zelma C. Wyche passed away on September 24, 1999. He was known as "Mr. Civil Rights of Louisiana." He is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Tallulah. Fish Street in Tallulah was renamed in his honor.