Savannah Civil Rights Attorney to be honored with historical marker in Cann Park

Late Savannah Civil Rights Lawyer Robbie Robinson loved Christmas.

His sister Barbara Pulliam said every year he would tell her he was hoping to get some snow — a white Christmas, despite Savannah’s tendency for warm weather, even in the depths of winter.

When Robinson was murdered on Dec. 18, 1989, killed by a bomb mailed to his law office on Abercorn Street, it was cold in Savannah. And on the way to his burial some days after, Pulliam remembers the slow drive down Victory, and the weather.

“It was a white Christmas that year,” Pulliam said. “And he used to say, ‘Boy, I would love to have a white Christmas.’ When we were going down Victory Drive, taking that long, slow drive going to the cemetery, it was a white Christmas.’”

Robinson’s legacy, already firmly cemented in the hearts of those who knew him in Savannah, will soon take physical form, after a vote from Savannah City Council confirmed the placement of a historical marker honoring his life in the neighborhood where he grew up.

The motion passed unanimously at council’s Dec. 20 meeting, nearly 32 years to the day after his death. Third District Alderwoman Linda Wilder Bryan championed the cause.

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While there’s no set date for the historical marker’s unveiling — Wilder Bryan said his family is still working on getting a date that works for everyone — the placement of the marker at West 46th and Bulloch streets is within his childhood neighborhood, Cann Park. 

Wilder Bryan said she knew Robinson through her sister, and had a working relationship with him back in the day. She always admired Robinson’s work and dedication and wanted to make sure his place in Savannah's history was sealed, so younger generations would know what he did for this town.

“Rob was always doing things in the community, he did Civil Rights pro bono, and he left a mark here. We had a working relationship, and he did amazing things,” Wilder Bryan said. “So that's how I became involved, as a friend, working in the community with him, a fellow Savannah High alumna.”

Pulliam said she was grateful for the council vote and the marker.

“He loved Savannah very much,” Pulliam said. “And he did all kinds of things in the city. We really are so proud of the fact that they are remembering him.”

‘A fighter for mankind’

Robinson, a graduate of Savannah High School class of 1964, was one of a dozen Black students to enter all-white Savannah High on Sept. 3, 1963. 

Throughout his childhood, Robinson was taken under the wing of another local Civil Rights Movement legend, W.W. Law. Robinson’s other sister, Ruth Teasley, said her brother was always with Law, at protests, meetings, even skipping Sunday school sometimes to learn from him.

“When he started with W.W. Law, he was a little boy,” Teasley said. “My mom would send him to Sunday school, and we would look for him, but he wouldn't be at Sunday school,  he was with W.W. Law, out at a sit-in, a swim-in, whatever. He was really dedicated to the cause, you know.”

And he was smart, even from a young age, Pulliam said “he could count the money faster than the cash register could ring it up.”

More:Execution tonight for man convicted in Robbie Robinson's death

His family runs the Robbie Robinson Scholarship, an award for freshman planning on going to any Historically Black College and University or the University of Georgia, where Robinson got his law degree. Robinson was also one of the first three Black students to enroll at UGA’s law school. UGA also has a Robinson Scholarship program.

When he returned to Savannah in 1976, Robinson worked at a few law firms before starting his solo practice in 1981, opening his offices on Abercorn Street, and providing legal counsel for the Savannah Chapter of the NAACP.  The next year, he won his seat on city council, and he was re-elected in 1986. 

Former Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson said Robinson was “a fighter for mankind,” Jackson said. “That’s what made him very special.”

“I thought Robbie was a serious minded young man, but he was very easy to talk to,” Jackson said. “And I think that made him stand out. But of course, when you're under the training of Westley Wallace Law, you learn to take on those traits because you're out there for a purpose, and that is to improve society.”

Robinson was only 41 on Dec. 18, 1989, when a mailed bomb exploded at his law office on Abercorn Street, causing fatal injuries. Robinson died later that evening at Memorial Hospital.

Convicted in the case was Walter Leroy Moody Jr. of Rex, Ga. Moody served 21 years, two months and five days in an Alabama prison on murder charges for the death of an Alabama federal judge, Robert Vance, who was killed by a bomb two days before Robinson.  Moody was never charged with homicide in Georgia, but was convicted of federal charges related to Robinson’s death. Moody was executed in 2018.

‘After all that time’

Robinson's historic marker will be a two-sided plaque, encompassing his entire life: his childhood, his membership in Savannah's NAACP Youth Council, his protest history, his integration at Savannah High School, his law work, his city council resume and his death.

Council’s action to approve the historical marker honoring Robinson comes 32 years after his death, almost to the day. And this year, the forecast for Christmas weekend shows sub-freezing temperatures in Savannah.

The National Weather Service is anticipating temperatures to drop to the mid-to-low 20s by the end of the week, but despite the chill, it's looking like just rain for the coast this week.

While it might not be a second white Christmas in Savannah for Robinson this year, his family is grateful for the city making the effort to honor his legacy.

"We're very happy that after 33 years, the city and Linda Wilder Bryan and the others made this happen,” Teasley said. “It makes you feel good, after all the sadness, it still makes you feel good that someone still thinks about him, and honors him in this way after all that time.”

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Robbie Robinson honor: Savannah Council approves Cann Park marker