By FRRC Staff Member, Jasmine Kendrick
Today, it is perfectly legal to discriminate against returning citizens like it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans. It’s displayed in the barriers returning citizens face in employment, housing, and access to voting.
African Americans continue to bear a disproportionate burden of these policies today, reflecting their original intent and silencing black voices. Yet, bolstered by courage and an unwavering commitment to justice, the African American community pushed forward, challenging the status quo and demanding change. Misleading narratives would have us believe that the African American community’s most significant contributions are a recent phenomenon confined to the past decade. Not too often talked about is that Florida was and continues to be where the African staff sways with sovereignty.
After the Civil War, a new stage presented itself to prop up the contributions of African Americans. Now unbound and spirits free, thousands of African-American men would vote in Florida for the first time and participate in the state’s political system. Josiah Thomas Walls would serve in the Florida House of Representatives and State Senate before becoming Florida’s first black congressman in 1871. During his extensive political career, he served as Mayor of Gainesville until retiring from politics, operating a successful farm in Alachua County, and later becoming Farm Director of the State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students, now known as FAMU.
In January of 1889, Florida would see its only nineteenth-century African American county judge. His federal job in Key West serving as the special inspector of customs for the city would be his introduction to state and local politics. He would serve as a delegate to the Republican First District Congressional Convention and the Republican National Convention. Later, Dean practiced law in Key West and Jacksonville. During that period, he also joined the clergy of the AME church.
Florida bred several Civil Rights movement builders. A. Philip Randolph was a prominent labor unionist and civil rights activist. Most known for leading the first successful African-American-led labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP). In 1941, alongside Bayard Rustin and A. J. Muste, Randolph proposed a march on Washington, a plan they would see through 22 years later in 1963.
Before The March on Washington, hundreds of sit-ins and boycotts would mark the decade. Ignited by the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Wilhelmina Jakes and Carrie Patterson, two FAMU students sat in the “whites only” section of a segregated bus. African Americans in Tallahassee boycotted the bus system for nearly seven months after their arrest.
After the Civil Rights movement, black leaders continued to prevail. In 1982, Florida welcomed its first Black woman, Gwen Cherry, into the Senate. It’s the 21st century, and we continue to celebrate the achievements of African Americans and recognize their central role in U.S. history. There’s still so much work to do.
The path from the segregationist laws of Jim Crow to the landmark victories of the civil rights era is a Double V Victory indeed. But as reality sets in, we see that the ideologies underpinning discrimination have evolved rather than disappeared, manifesting in new forms and requiring continuous dedication. Today, Jim Crow has grandkids, and they are their grandfather’s wildest dream — a hovering reminder of the ongoing nature of the fight for equality. We must continue to challenge the status quo so that all community members can stand tall in the halls of democracy.
Use your voice and be an advocate of change for your community. Learn more about our work and join our movement at https://floridarrc.com/membership/.
Sources & Further Readings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dean_(judge)
https://dpanther.fiu.edu/sobek/content/FI/18/05/09/00/00056/FI18050900_00056_00003.pdf
https://www.floridamemory.com/learn/exhibits/photo_exhibits/women/#:~:text=Gwen%20Cherry%20was%20the%20first,served%20from%201981%20to%201987.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwen_Cherry
https://www.floridamemory.com/learn/classroom/learning-units/civil-rights/tallahasseebusboycott/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_on_Washington_for_Jobs_and_Freedom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_T._Walls
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_rights_movement
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement-timeline
