Robert Booker (politician)
Robert J. Booker | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the Knox County 2nd district | |
| In office 1967–1972 | |
| Preceded by | Arthur Atkin[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 14, 1935 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | February 22, 2024 (aged 88) Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Knoxville College (BEd, 1962)[2] |
| Occupation | Historian, 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[edit]
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[edit]
- 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[edit]
- ^ "Rep. Arthur Atkin". Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Bob Booker". Knoxville History Project. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Rep. Robert J. Booker". Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Bob Booker: New book traces black experience in Knoxville". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- 1935 births
- 2024 deaths
- 21st-century African-American academics
- 21st-century American academics
- African-American historians
- African-American state legislators in Tennessee
- Historians from Tennessee
- Knoxville College alumni
- Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives
- Politicians from Knoxville, Tennessee
- United States Army soldiers