St. Augustine Record: Civil rights legacy needs greater visibility

Our view: City's civil rights history gains more visibility

The civil rights legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in St. Augustine is gaining more visibility. It should because the city played a pivotal role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

King marched in St. Augustine and preached his message of equality for all in Lincolnville churches in the final days leading up to the June 1964 passage of the Civil Rights Act by Congress. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law July 2. St. Augustine's role is validated by Ambassador Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor and a key member of King's inner circle. He says St. Augustine was the last staging ground that led to the Civil Rights Act passage. That's a key point in our history, too.

If 1963-64 were pivotal years in the civil rights movement, 2010 elevated the city's civil rights history when the Florida Cabinet pardoned the St. Augustine demonstrators who were arrested in that era. Many of those still living, including Dr. Robert B. Hayling, the father of civil rights in St. Augustine, were present for that Cabinet action in December.

The 40th ACCORD Freedom Trail presented by Northrop Grumman Corp. is complete. For years, historian David Nolan lamented the lack of visible recognition of the painful civil rights era and overall black history in St. Augustine and St. Johns County. Now there are 31 markers; 30 sponsored by Northrop Grumman and one by Beth Levenbach, ACCORD member from Lansdowne, Pa.

The city of St. Augustine is moving on a rehabilitation project for Lincolnville including new sidewalks and infrastructure. Plans are becoming reality for rehabbing Riberia Street, which leads from King Street into Lincolnville.

First America Foundation, Inc., the organization charged with planning and putting on the major events of the city's 450th birthday celebration, 2012-2015, has designated 2014 to honor the 50th anniversary of St. Augustine's role in the civil rights movement.

Flagler College will soon launch over the Internet the digital archive of the interviews done for the Andrew Young Foundation's production of Crossing in St. Augustine, the story of the city's role in the movement. The archive was donated to the college by Young. Parts of the archive will begin to be posted on Web in February, Black History Month, said college officials.

Fort Mose State Park continues to welcome visitors and recognize the nation's first free black town established in the 1730s as the city's northern defense line.

Excelsior Cultural Center and Museum thrives in the former Excelsior School in Lincolnville, a tribute to the tenacity of the Friends of Excelsior to tell the story of that community.

St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church celebrates its centennial in February. Rehabilitation of its former school building is under way thanks to Friends of St. Benedict the Moor, another tenacious citizens group, and the Diocese of St. Augustine.

The former Echo House, an education center inspired by the late community leader Rosalie Gordon Mills, is working toward becoming an educational center sponsored by St. Paul AME Church and grounded in a community wide effort.

Alumni and friends of Florida Memorial University -- relocated to Miami in the late 1960s -- rehabilitated the Lewis Memorial Arch and saved it from further disrepair. Now located at Collier-Blocker-Puryear Park on West King Street and Holmes Boulevard, the arch is a tribute to the longtime black college. Many educators from around the state earned their teaching degrees from Florida Memorial from the early 1900s into the 1960s on the West Augustine campus.

Considering the city's significant civil rights history, Mayor Joe Boles has organized a committee to explore the feasibility of a civil rights museum.

There's great potential for more projects to illuminate St. Augustine's black history. The good news is that with support already shown throughout St. Augustine and St. Johns County, not just within Lincolnville or the black community, King's message of working together is being heard.