They dealt with the fact that St Augustine played a pretty major role in the Civil Rights movement, to the point that Dr Martin Luther King came to town several times attempting to assist with desegregation efforts. He was assisted by other notables, the attorney William Kuenstler, and the mother of Mass Gov Endicott Peabody, who was well known as an activist.
After reading the two articles, I checked out my latest historical buddy, the database for Historical Markers, and lo and behold, learned that there are any number of specific markers that deal with the Civil Rights Movement here in town, which I never was aware of, even though I lived here 5 years.
To remedy that, I took my first of what will be several tours today, hitting 9 spots. Separate posts to follow......
Here are several photos from the series that the Jacksonville Paper had on their website:
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| Part of the demonstrations were an attempt to desegregate the beaches, which were "white only. That met with violence. |
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| The KKK was very much in evidence during the strife, note they didn't bother to hide their faces. |
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| This is the picture I most remember, the motel owner poured muriatic acid on bathers who were attempting to desegregate the pool, saying "I am cleaning the pool right now." His motel had been the target of blacks trying to both eat in his restaurant and stay at his place. |
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| This is a reference to the fact that Ms Peabody had been arrested, that's what the banner headline says. |
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| A series of rallies from "the other side" were held- The sign says King Coon, America's most wanted man. |
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| Ms Peabody leaving jail, along with Dr R.B. Hayling, a local leader of the movement |
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| A large group of white folks staged a counter demonstration walking through the Black residential district to protest the protest. |
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| Dr King and Ralph Abernathy and Dr Hayling holding a news conference. |
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