Zeddie Quitman Hyler earned his bachelor’s degree, left the unrelenting sun of the south, and headed north as part of the Great Migration. Six million African Americans were part of this historic movement.

Determined not to view the color of his skin as a death sentence, Hyler encouraged his siblings to join him, worked as a postal clerk, amassed properties, and became a business leader. In 1955, he was ready to build a family home in Wauwatosa. He faced repeated appearances before city fathers and denials of his request for a building permit. The tide turned when 39 Wauwatosa white women protested, invoking the Bill of Rights. The Zeddie Quitman Hyler home is still standing and has received a historic designation.

Hyler’s niece, Lora Hyler, a filmmaker, author, essayist, and podcaster will speak about her uncle’s legacy, and status as the first African American to integrate Wauwatosa.

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