ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — The Albany Civil Rights Movement has lost one of its founding members. Dr. William G. Anderson, the movement’s first president, has died at age 98.

Early life and move to Albany

Dr. Anderson grew up in Southwest Georgia. He moved back to Albany in 1957 to practice medicine after completing an internship in Flint, Michigan. His daughter, Vale Anderson Henson, said Anderson’s wife inspired the move.

“She insisted. She said, ‘Once you become a doctor, you promise you go back and help your people,’” Henson said. “Because there were only two Black doctors—He was one, in Albany.”

Rise as a civil rights leader

As one of the city’s few Black doctors, Anderson joined the fight against segregation. He became the founder and first president of the Albany Movement.

Longtime activist Shirley Sherrod said taking that role came with risk.

“You know... Everyone had a lot to lose,” Sherrod said. “But being a physician and a leader in the community, he definitely had things to lose. And his life could be in danger, as I experienced through the years in this work.”

Anderson marched in numerous demonstrations and worked closely alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In December 1961, Anderson was arrested during a protest in Albany and jailed.

Henson said her father spoke of that arrest often, wanting younger generations to understand the realities of that era.

“When he says he went to jail, Black people couldn’t—You go to jail for drinking from a white water fountain,” Henson said. “This is a different time. So I said, I hope when he tells people that, that he backs it up with the realities of what was going on in the 60s.”

Later career and legacy

Anderson later left Albany to practice medicine in Detroit, becoming the city’s first Black surgical resident in 1964.

Some historians have labeled the Albany Movement a failure. Sherrod said she views its legacy differently.

“So many, Dr. King learned lessons here from being here in Albany,” Sherrod said. “And so many came through here and were trained and went on to work in Mississippi and other places. The historians are finally beginning to take a new look at Albany and the work that was done here.”

Henson said she hopes her father’s story serves as a reminder for others to give back to their communities.

“[Anderson] has such a vision of the way the world should be, what equality should look like, what pursuit should look like,” Henson said. “When God gives you gifts and blesses you, you have to pay it forward. You can’t be yourself and just keep it all to yourself. You got to pay it forward.”

Anderson died on Aug. 16, 2026, at the age of 98.

Funeral service details

His funeral will be held Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 11 a.m. in Southfield, Michigan, at Empowerment Church. The service will be livestreamed here.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X. For more south Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.