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Viola Liuzzo



Viola Liuzzo is said to be the only white woman murdered for being a part of the 1960s civil rights movement. Her sacrifice is an example of an unflinching commitment to equality. Liuzzo was a 39-year-old mother of five and married to a Detroit teamster union member. Her support of civil rights motivated Liuzzo to join the cause in Selma, Ala. during the march on Montgomery in 1965. Liuzzo was driving protesters to and from the march. During her route a group of klansmen did a drive by shooting into her car and killing her. Liuzzo's murderers included an FBI informant and so the FBI smeared Liuzzo's reputation to divert attention away from the fact of the informant in the car. That smear campaign is why Liuzzo's story has been lost to history. But her family has fought to tell Liuzzo's true story through a documentary film, 'Home of the Brave."




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