Ms. Viola Gregg-Liuzzo was born on April 25th,
1925 in California, Pennsylvania as just Viola Gregg. She then moved with her
family to Chattanooga, Tennessee. While in the south she witnessed segregation
first hand.
Her father, Heber Gregg, was a Tennessee native and World War One veteran who had found work in Pennsylvania as a coal miner. Then in Pennsylvania he met Eva Wilson, who then gave birth to Viola and her younger sister Mary. After Viola’s father was injured in an accident that prevented him from working the family began to depend solely on Viola’s, mother’s income. During the depression the family moved to Tennessee and lived in terrible conditions that were almost exactly like those that African-Americans faced all the time in the south. In 1943, Viola’s family moved to Detroit, where the tension between whites and African-Americans caused dangerous riots; witnessing this only cause Viola to become further motivated to join the fight to change the unfair treatment the African-Americans faced.
Viola married George Argyris and the pair had two kids, Penny and Evangeline Mary. Unfortunately by 1949 the two divorced. Viola then proceeded to marry Anthony Liuzzo and have three additional children, Tomy, Anthony Jr., and Sally. Due to Viola dropping out of school at 16, she wanted to go back to school, which she did. Viola began to attend Carnegie Institute in Detroit, Michigan. She then enrolled part-time at Wayne State University in 1962. In addition to fully supporting the Civil Rights movement. Viola also protested against a law that had made dropping out of school much easier by taking her children out of school and home schooling them.
Nine days after “Bloody Sunday” (March 7th, 1965) Viola attended a protest at Wayne State. She then told her husband that she was going to the Selma Marches claiming it “was everybody’s fight.” When the Selma- Montgomery marches ended on March 25th, Viola and Leroy Moton, a 19 year-old African-American) were driving people to their homes and desired locations. On Route 80 a car attempted to force Viola off the road, after failing to do so a car pulled up alongside Viola and Leroy with four Ku Klux Klan members inside. One of the Klan members shot Viola twice, this caused the car to veer off the road and hit a fence. Leroy lived.
Viola’s funeral was held on March 30th, in Detroit. Many fellow activist and government officials attended many believed Liuzzo’s death act. Even after her death, Ms. Viola was still making a difference.
*On our, "The Four Klan Killers" Page President Lyndon B. Johnsons speech regarding Ms. Viola Liuzzo's murder is at the bottom if you would like to see it.
If you are interested in more information on Ms. Viola Gregg-Liuzzo you can check out the following:
Documentaries:
*Home of the Brave (2004)
*3 part video series “Free at Last: Civil Rights Heroes” episode 2 of the King Miniseries
Books:
*Hoods the Series of the Ku Klux Klan -By Robert P. Ingalls
*From the Selma to Sorrow: The Life and Death of Viola Liuzzo -By Mary Stanton
*Murder on the Highway: The Viola Liuzzo Story -By Beatrice Siegall
Her father, Heber Gregg, was a Tennessee native and World War One veteran who had found work in Pennsylvania as a coal miner. Then in Pennsylvania he met Eva Wilson, who then gave birth to Viola and her younger sister Mary. After Viola’s father was injured in an accident that prevented him from working the family began to depend solely on Viola’s, mother’s income. During the depression the family moved to Tennessee and lived in terrible conditions that were almost exactly like those that African-Americans faced all the time in the south. In 1943, Viola’s family moved to Detroit, where the tension between whites and African-Americans caused dangerous riots; witnessing this only cause Viola to become further motivated to join the fight to change the unfair treatment the African-Americans faced.
Viola married George Argyris and the pair had two kids, Penny and Evangeline Mary. Unfortunately by 1949 the two divorced. Viola then proceeded to marry Anthony Liuzzo and have three additional children, Tomy, Anthony Jr., and Sally. Due to Viola dropping out of school at 16, she wanted to go back to school, which she did. Viola began to attend Carnegie Institute in Detroit, Michigan. She then enrolled part-time at Wayne State University in 1962. In addition to fully supporting the Civil Rights movement. Viola also protested against a law that had made dropping out of school much easier by taking her children out of school and home schooling them.
Nine days after “Bloody Sunday” (March 7th, 1965) Viola attended a protest at Wayne State. She then told her husband that she was going to the Selma Marches claiming it “was everybody’s fight.” When the Selma- Montgomery marches ended on March 25th, Viola and Leroy Moton, a 19 year-old African-American) were driving people to their homes and desired locations. On Route 80 a car attempted to force Viola off the road, after failing to do so a car pulled up alongside Viola and Leroy with four Ku Klux Klan members inside. One of the Klan members shot Viola twice, this caused the car to veer off the road and hit a fence. Leroy lived.
Viola’s funeral was held on March 30th, in Detroit. Many fellow activist and government officials attended many believed Liuzzo’s death act. Even after her death, Ms. Viola was still making a difference.
*On our, "The Four Klan Killers" Page President Lyndon B. Johnsons speech regarding Ms. Viola Liuzzo's murder is at the bottom if you would like to see it.
If you are interested in more information on Ms. Viola Gregg-Liuzzo you can check out the following:
Documentaries:
*Home of the Brave (2004)
*3 part video series “Free at Last: Civil Rights Heroes” episode 2 of the King Miniseries
Books:
*Hoods the Series of the Ku Klux Klan -By Robert P. Ingalls
*From the Selma to Sorrow: The Life and Death of Viola Liuzzo -By Mary Stanton
*Murder on the Highway: The Viola Liuzzo Story -By Beatrice Siegall