Robert Fox (Activist) (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Robert Fox sparked a civil rights battle in Louisville, Kentucky, in the late 1800s. In January 1871, Robert Fox boarded a streetcar, dropped his money into the fare box and sat down in the white section of the car. Ordered to move, he refused; the driver then threw him off the car. Shortly after, Fox filed a charge of assault and battery against the streetcar company in federal court, claiming that separate seating policies based on race were unlawful and the driver's actions were therefore improper. A jury found the company rules to be invalid and awarded damages of $15 to Fox. However, the company defied the jury's finding and continued racially segregated seating. Louisville black leaders decided to launch a full-scale "ride-in." At 7 P.M. on May 12, a young African-American boy boarded a streetcar, walked past the driver and took a seat among the white passengers.