William G. Anderson (center) with Martin Luther King, Jr. (left) and Rev. Ralph David Abernathy astatine his location successful Albany, Georgia. Photo courtesy of William G. Anderson.
Leading a movement
Anderson was calved successful Americus, Georgia, successful 1927. He enlisted successful the Navy during World War II, serving successful what helium said was the past all-Black company. He said helium was the archetypal Black worker to go a infirmary attendant arsenic well. Once backmost location aft the war, helium graduated from what is present Alabama State University successful 1949 and wanted to go a physician. There were few, if any, opportunities for Black students astatine aesculapian schools successful the South, but a household person was the lone osteopathic doc successful Albany, Georgia. That person had attended the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, wherever Anderson would besides attend.
Anderson received his certification successful country earlier going to Flint, Michigan, for an internship. He completed that residency astatine the Flint Osteopathic Hospital successful 1957 and thought astir staying successful Michigan to signifier successful Detroit. His wife, Norma, however, reminded him that helium was needed wherever helium came from. So, they packed their belongings and moved to Albany, the aforesaid municipality wherever his household person had practiced.
Upon arrival, however, Anderson was denied infirmary privileges. No Black doc had ever been permitted to signifier astatine a infirmary successful that Georgia county. So, Anderson opened his ain household medicine practice, becoming 1 of the precise fewer Black osteopathic physicians successful the South. His signifier thrived, adjacent arsenic helium was prevented from treating definite patients. Discrimination existed beyond hospitals and backstage practices, Anderson knew.
His second-story bureau successful Albany was located supra the region clerk’s office. There, helium watched arsenic young Black citizens attempted to registry to vote. They were intimidated and turned away, sometimes adjacent arrested for misdemeanors. Anderson couldn’t instrumentality it, and soon helium was protesting for civilian rights on with his wife.
In 1961, moving with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph David Abernathy, Anderson became the person of the Albany movement, the archetypal wide effort to protestation assemblage segregation successful the civilian rights era. He took portion successful hundreds of marches and was jailed successful 1962 during a march with King and Abernathy. “I would proudly unrecorded the past fractional of my beingness arsenic a convicted felon,” Anderson wrote successful 2015, “accused of obstructing justness by trying to alteration unfair laws made by radical for whom I couldn’t vote.”
Shortly aft the Albany movement, which, arsenic the Detroit Free Press described, “brought down the partition of segregation successful determination nationalist facilities,” Anderson returned to Detroit for a aesculapian residency. While helium was capable to signifier astatine hospitals successful Michigan, Anderson’s passionateness for providing attraction to section communities persisted.
That was besides erstwhile helium became progressive with MSU arsenic an adviser.
‘From Slavery to Freedom’
William G. Anderson with the precocious Rep. John C. Lewis astatine the 2015 “Slavery to Freedom” lecture series
During the archetypal “Slavery to Freedom” bid successful February 2001, MSU welcomed Rev. Charles G. Adams, Rev. Wyatt T. Walker, Rev. Joseph Lowery and Rev. Otis Moss Jr., a erstwhile co-pastor astatine King’s religion successful Atlanta, to talk to the MSU assemblage implicit 4 dates.
Anderson was thrilled to beryllium a person of the bid and said the medication successful the College of Osteopathic Medicine was supportive of his extremity of bringing speakers who would radiance a airy connected a past of civilian rights maladies successful the country.
Marita Gilbert, subordinate dean of diverseness and field inclusion astatine the College of Osteopathic Medicine, had attended the bid successful the 2000s erstwhile she was a doctoral pupil astatine MSU and said she looked guardant to the events each year. Now she heads the program. “In my relation arsenic subordinate dean,” she said, “it is specified an grant to beryllium capable to transportation connected the bequest of Dr. Anderson’s work. I anticipation that what I americium doing is not conscionable settling but expanding what this bid means and inviting much radical to beryllium portion of the conversation.
“What is important astir the bid is that we observe Black histories and Black herstories, but besides Black futures. We are not conscionable having conversations astir what has already happened. We are hoping to invitation folks to travel successful and speech astir wherever we are now. What are the questions we should beryllium asking now? What is the enactment we should beryllium doing now? What are the preparations we should beryllium making now? So that we are acceptable to enactment thriving and palmy futures?”
“Who amended to constitute down this past than our universities?” Anderson said erstwhile looking backmost connected the archetypal fewer years of the lecture series. “I had a escaped manus to bring successful radical who had experienced segregation and favoritism firsthand.”
So, helium recovered radical similar the reverends who spoke astatine the archetypal series. Then, helium brought Abernathy’s wife, Juanita Jones Abernathy, successful 2004. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the archetypal pistillate bishop successful the African Methodist Episcopal Church, spoke connected field successful 2008. Rep. John C. Lewis spoke to the assemblage assemblage successful 2015.
Anderson noticed different schools creating akin lectures with visiting module soon aft the lecture bid launched successful 2001. “MSU’s people has been made,” helium said.
So, too, has Anderson’s. Now 94, helium remains a civilian rights icon and pioneer successful his field. Osteopathic medicine continues to beryllium a passion, 1 that helium believes is indispensable successful communities each implicit the country. Back connected field astatine MSU, COM has grown since its aboriginal days successful an aged schoolhouse successful Pontiac. Today, determination are 3 campuses wherever aboriginal Spartan osteopathic physicians train: the East Lansing site, on with community-based locations successful the Detroit Medical Center and the Macomb University Center successful Clinton Township. More than 300 osteopathic students postgraduate each year, producing much-needed superior attraction physicians for the state.
“At 1 point, I could not adjacent signifier successful agrarian areas successful the South,” Anderson said. Now colleges of osteopathic medicine are providing attraction to communities passim the country.
“I’m arrogant to accidental we acceptable the signifier for what is disposable successful galore communities passim the United States — entree to wellness attraction that did not beryllium earlier we came along.”
Learn astir Black History Month events taking spot astatine MSU passim the period of February.
More accusation astir the “Slavery to Freedom” lecture bid is disposable connected the College of Osteopathic Medicine website.
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