1960 Civil Rights Demonstration
Posted by: 
lazyCachers
N 30° 19.744 W 081° 39.586
17R E 436577 N 3355433
Located in Hemming Park in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.
Waymark Code: WM3TRZ
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 05/17/2008
Views: 27
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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