Search for Walter White online, and you'll most likely find this guy.

“You all know exactly who I am.” But there's a real man with the same name and an equally riveting story.

He changed the course of the 20th century and was at the center of the Civil Rights movement, yet he's been largely lost to history.

So just who was Walter F. White?

In his own words, White was the “enigma of a Black man occupying a white body.” The descendant of Black enslaved people and white plantation owners, Walter and his family could pass as white but were active members of the Black community in Atlanta, Georgia at the turn of the century.

In 1906, at the age of 13, Walter and his family narrowly escaped a white mob that was attacking Black people and destroying businesses and property.

This was a turning point for White who went on to help found the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP in 1916.

His work caught the attention of national leaders, who invited him to come to New York.

From there his life was one remarkable accomplishment after another.

White risked his life by going undercover to report on racial terror in the deep South.

He lobbied for anti-lynching laws.

And when he wasn't testifying before Congress, White was meeting with presidents and dignitaries.

Hobknobbing with Hollywood and pushing for better representation on stage and screen... And reporting from Europe on the treatment of segregated units in WWII.

He also hired a young Thurgood Marshall and others to lead the Legal Defense Fund, which created the legal strategy that challenged school segregation, ultimately leading to the landmark Brown vs Board of Education.

Walter F. White's life was nothing short of extraordinary, leaving an indelible mark on the Civil Rights movement and American history yet he's faded into obscurity.

To learn more about the complicated life and legacy of Walter White watch Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP, on PBS.