Albert Anderson Raby (1933 – November 23, 1988) was a teacher at

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Hess Upper Grade Center Hess or Heß may refer to: * Hess (surname), also ''Heß'' in German, people with the surname Hess * Hess, Oklahoma, a community in the United States * Hess Educational Organization, the largest private provider of English instruction in the Repub ...

who secured the support of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

to desegregate schools and housing in Chicago between 1965 and 1967. Raby was a part of the civil rights movement and helped create th
Coordinating Council of Community Organizations
(CCCO), the mission of the CCCO was to end segregation in Chicago schools. Raby tried to stay out of the media and public eye, which limited information known about him.

Early life

Albert Raby was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1933, dropping out of school in the eighth grade. He became involved in a

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, and, after a stint in the army, earned his grammar school diploma at age 24. He went on to earn his high school diploma immediately after that. He attended day and evening school to earn his high school diploma. In 1960, he earned a teaching degree from

Chicago Teachers College Chicago State University (CSU) is a predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of t ...

and entered the profession.

CCCO formation

Raby was a member of the

Teachers for Integrated Schools A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. wh ...

and helped form th
Coordinating Council of Community Organizations
(CCCO) in 1962. In 1963, Raby assisted in organizing the

Chicago Public School Boycott The Chicago Public Schools boycott, also known as Freedom Day, was a mass boycott and demonstration against the segregationist policies of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on October 22, 1963. More than 200,000 students stayed out of school, and t ...

. TFIS selected him to be their delegate to the CCCO. On January 11, 1964, he was appointed the organization's convener (Anderson and Pickering 129). When the CCCO movement was officially launched, Raby became its co-chairman. As a member of the Agenda Committee, Raby assisted in choosing open housing as the initial campaign for the movement. Along with King in July 1966, he attended the initial meeting with Mayor

Richard J. Daley Richard Joseph Daley (May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1955 and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee from 1953 until his death. He has been cal ...

where the demands of the movement were presented. Raby served as a leader of open housing marches, using his position as a local leader to draw upon those in Chicago communities affected by housing

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of humans ...

Later career

Raby was the Director of the Peace Corps in Ghana from 1979–1982. Afterwards, he returned to Chicago and was the campaign manager for

Harold Washington Harold Lee Washington (April 15, 1922 – November 25, 1987) was an American lawyer and politician who was the 51st Mayor of Chicago. Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city's mayor in April 1983. He served as ma ...

's successful mayoral campaign in 1983. Washington appointed him to head the City of Chicago's Commission on Human Relations in May 1983.

Death and recognition

Raby collapsed and died from a heart attack on November 23, 1988. In 2004 a Chicago Public High School named after Al Raby was opened. Located in the Garfield Park neighborhood, Al Raby High School for Community and Environment focuses on social justice issues as well as geographical information systems.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raby, Albery 1933 births 1988 deaths Activists for African-American civil rights People from Chicago Activists from Illinois