Throughout February, we’ll be highlighting historical African American figures who’ve had an impact in their fields, whether that be art, music, politics or sports. All of them have a Florida connection.
Darryl Paulson is a professor emeritus of government at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and is an expert on the Civil Rights Movement.
We’re highlighting a civil rights icon from the panhandle of Florida who was responsible for pay equity among teachers and the right to vote.
“Harry Moore lived on the east coast of Florida and spent most of his life in Mims, Florida, which is close to Cape Canaveral,” said Professor Paulson.
In 1934, Harry T. Moore and his wife, Harriette, founded the first NAACP chapter in Florida in Brevard County. They were schoolteachers by profession, and he fought - with the help of civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall - for equal pay between Black and White teachers.
"He had a tremendous influence on voter registration in Florida," said Professor Paulson.
He also challenged barriers that prevented African Americans from voting. In fact, once the Supreme Court ruled that all White primary elections were unconstitutional in 1944, Harry registered 31% of eligible Black voters in Florida.
“That seems low by today’s standards, but, by far, it was the highest percentage of Blacks registered to vote in the south,” said Paulson.
Seven years later, tragedy would strike.
“What happened on Christmas Eve of 1951 was that a bomb was placed underneath the house of the Moore family. It was also their 25th wedding anniversary," Paulson said.
The explosion destroyed the home, and Harry and his wife Harriette were in critical condition, in desperate need of medical attention.
“Harry Moore was rushed to the nearest hospital, but on the way, they realized the hospital didn’t accept Black patients. So, they had to drive another 30 miles to the nearest hospital that did accept Black patients in Sanford, Florida,” explained Professor Paulson.
Unfortunately, Harry died on the way to the hospital. Harriette died nine days later. An FBI investigation determined the Ku Klux Klan was responsible for the bombing and the Moore’s deaths.
“He was the first Black member of the NAACP to be assassinated in the performance of his duties. And, later on, of course, it would become much more frequent in the 1960s when a lot of the Black civil rights leaders were subjected to violence in the United States and throughout the south, in particular,” said Professor Paulson. "Harry and Harriette Moore made the ultimate sacrifice for the betterment of our state and nation, which is why they're not just Black history, they're Florida history."
