The Forgotten Civil Rights Heroes: The Moore Couple
The Civil Rights Movement’s Only Murdered Couple
Early Life & Biography
If I die, I was only trying to help my people. If I go that way, I’ll go as a hero. Somebody has got to do that work.
— Harry T. Moore to his mother Rosa
Born in Houston, Florida in 1905, Harry Tyson Moore was the only son of Johnny and Rosa Moore. When he was ten years old, Harry’s father passed away, leaving him under his mother’s care. But in 1915, Mrs. Moore sent her son to Jacksonville, where he grew up with his three aunts — all of whom were highly educated individuals.
As a result, Moore’s aunts would develop his passion for education. And when he returned home to Florida, Moore would excel in his studies, earning the nickname “Doc” among his classmates.
In 1925, Moore would graduate from Florida Memorial college and begin teaching in Brevard County, where he met his future wife Harriet Vyda Simms, an educator and insurance broker.
