1960 Civil Rights Demonstration
Posted by: 
lazyCachers
N 30° 19.744 W 081° 39.586
17R E 436577 N 3355433
Quick Description: Located in Hemming Park in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 5/17/2008 6:48:54 PM
Waymark Code: WM3TRZ
Views: 13
Long Description:
The marker reads:
"On Saturday, August 27,1960, 40 Youth Council demonstrators from
the Jacksonville Branch of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) advised by local civil rights
leader Rutledge H. Pearson (1929-1967), sat in at the W.T. Grant
Department Store, then located at the corner of West Adams and
North Main Streets, and at Woolworth's Five and Ten Cent Store on
Hogan Street across from Hemming Park. Seeking access to the
whites-only lunch counters, the youths were met by 150 white males
wielding axe handles and baseball bats. Many of the youths were
injured while others sought safety at the adjacent Snyder Memorial
Methodist Church. Although not the beginning of the Jacksonville
civil rights movement, this conflict was a turning point. It
awakened many to the seriousness of the African-American
community's demand for equal rights, equal opportunity, human
dignity, and respect, and inspired further resolve in supporters to
accomplish these goals. Within the decade, lunch counters were
integrated, Duval County public schools began to desegregate, four
African-Americans were elected to City Council, and segregation of
public accommodations, including parks, restrooms, and water
fountains ended."
Marker Number: F-463
Date: 2002
County: Duval
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: The Jacksonville Historical Society and The Florida Department of State
Website: [Web Link]
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