Jimmy Wilson

Who is Jimmy Wilson?

James "Jimmy" E. Wilson, was an American farmhand who was sentenced to death by an Alabama court after he was convicted of violent robbery in 1958. As an African-American, his case became a cause célèbre due to the small amount stolen and the fact that Wilson was convicted by an all-white jury.

The case became a source of embarrassment for the United States at the height of the Cold War, as it suggested that American promotion of democratic principles overseas was hypocritical when it did not seem to uphold the same standards in its own states.