The civil rights movement gave rise to an extraordinary array of leaders whose names remain etched in our collective memory: Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall, Malcolm X. But there was one man, once considered the most influential Black man in America, whose name has faded into obscurity. You may not know his name, but if you look closely at photographs from that era, you’ll see him. Standing beside presidents, meeting with dignitaries, advising future Supreme Court justices—a figure lost-to-history, Walter F. White.

White poetically described himself as “the enigma of a Black man occupying a white body.” A descendant of Black enslaved people and white plantation owners, White and his family could pass as white. Yet they were deeply rooted in the Black community of Atlanta, Georgia, at the turn of the 20th century. And, from a young age, Walter White embraced that duality.

His involvement in organizing and activism also started from a young age. By 1916, he helped establish the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP, mobilizing against a local school board’s attempt to eliminate seventh-grade education for Black children. His work caught the attention of national NAACP leaders, who invited him to join their efforts in New York City. From then on, Walter White’s career was a series of remarkable accomplishments that were instrumental in the growth of the NAACP and success of the civil rights movement.

Once with the NAACP, he risked his life by going undercover to investigate and report on lynchings and racial violence in the Deep South. Passing as white, he infiltrated dangerous situations to document atrocities, bringing national attention to the horrors of mob violence.

He also became a relentless advocate for federal anti-lynching legislation, testifying before Congress and meeting with presidents to push for change. White’s influence extended far beyond Washington. He engaged with Hollywood to advocate for better representation of Black people in film and theater, challenging harmful stereotypes on stage and screen.

During World War II, White reported from Europe on the treatment of segregated Black units in the U.S. military, amplifying the voices of those fighting for democracy abroad while facing discrimination at home. And as head of the NAACP, he hired a young Thurgood Marshall and Charles Hamilton Houston to lead the organization’s Legal Defense Fund. That initiative developed the legal strategy that ultimately dismantled school segregation in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Walter White’s life was nothing short of extraordinary. His work left an indelible mark on the civil rights movement and American history, yet his name remains largely unknown to many today. To learn more about Walter White and NAACP watch Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP.