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Robert Booker (politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert J. Booker
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the Knox County 2nd district
In office
1967–1972
Preceded byArthur Atkin[1]
Personal details
Born(1935-04-14)April 14, 1935
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedFebruary 22, 2024(2024-02-22) (aged 88)
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma materKnoxville College
(BEd, 1962)[2]
OccupationHistorian, politician, writer

Robert "Bob" J. Booker (April 14, 1935 – February 22, 2024) was an American historian, politician, and writer. He served in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Life and career

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Robert J. Booker was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 14, 1935. He grew up in the East Knoxville neighborhood known as "The Bottom," and went to Austin-East High School.[3] He served three years in the United States Army[2] and was impressed by the freedoms and absence of segregation he experienced while stationed in France and England.[4]

Following his return to the United States in 1957, he graduated from Knoxville College on a G.I. Bill scholarship.[2] During his time in college he participated in the Civil Rights movement. He organize sit-ins in lunch counters restaurants in downtown Knoxville in 1960.[4] After a month of peaceful protests, the same lunch counters were desegregated.[4]

He later taught French at Howard High School in Chattanooga.[5] Booker was the first African American elected to the Tennessee State Legislature from Knox County's 2nd District, and he served three terms.[5][6]

Booker died on February 22, 2024, at the age of 88.[7][3]

Bibliography

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  • Two Hundred Years of Black Culture in Knoxville, Tennessee 1791–1991 (1993)
  • And There Was Light!; The 120 Year History of Knoxville College (1994)
  • The Heat of a Red Summer; An Encyclopedia: The Experiences of Black People in Knoxville, Tennessee 1844-1974 (2001)
  • From the Bottom Up!
  • An Encyclopedia: Experiences of Black People in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1844–1974 (2017)[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Rep. Arthur Atkin". Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Bob Booker". Knoxville History Project. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Civil rights activist, historian Bob Booker dies at 88 years old". WATE 6 On Your Side. 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  4. ^ a b c García-Franceschini, Fernando (February 7, 2020). "In His Own Words: Robert 'Bob' Booker's journey of activism, service in Knoxville". WBIR-TV.
  5. ^ a b "Robert Booker Named 2020 CCI Diversity Award Winner". College of Communication & Information, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  6. ^ "Rep. Robert J. Booker". Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  7. ^ Dennis, Angela (22 February 2024). "Robert Booker, one of Knoxville's leading Black voices and a civil rights luminary, dies at 88". Knox News. USA Today. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Bob Booker: New book traces black experience in Knoxville". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-06-01.