The Civil Rights Movement: St Augustine’s Contribution
The St. Augustine Civil Rights movement took place during 1963-1964. This event contributes to the history of St. Augustine, while having a major role in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called St. Augustine, Florida, “the most racist city in America”. In the articles, “The Push For Equality: All Eyes on Florida” by David R. Colburn, “A Southern Journey: A Return to the Civil Rights Movement” by Tom Dent, and the film Dare Not Walk Alone directed by Jeremy Dean, the events and importance of the Civil Rights movement is discussed. The author’s and directors created an image that, the events were so dark and negative, so people in present time can have a more bright and positive social environment. Taking the film and readings together, the understanding of how the African American community pushed the limits of segregation, while gaining lessons that later still help us to this day during the everyday fight for civil rights. The boycotts, arrests, protests were all acts of the community coming together and acting as unit. These brave actions were otherwise smart, they used what little authority and voices they had as a resource to bring the members of the fight close together and rally to campaign for a fight against segregation. The Civil Rights movement impacted St. Augustine even to this day. “The Push For Equality: All Eyes on Florida,” “A Southern Journey: A Return to the Civil Rights Movement,” and Dare Not Walk Alone should be important to everyone today because they discuss the divide in St. Augustine during the Civil Rights movement, and demonstrate how the African American community used their voices to overcome discrimination from white supremacists, challenging segregation, and shaping the pathway for the Civil Rights movement. Although the leaders from the mid-twentieth century made these impactful changes, there are still flaws in the fight for equality, we should use these stories being told as inspiration to continue their legacy.
The harsh events during the Civil Rights movement were demonstrated throughout the film Dare Not Walk Alone. This documentary is about the Civil Right movement, and the divide it left on St. Augustine then, and now. This film is different from the readings because it is from today’s point of view and how the Civil Rights movement did not just shape the pathway for African Americans in the late 1900’s but, to this current time. The film demonstrates how the people in St. Augustine at the time of the movement went through dark, hard times to create a better environment for the future citizens. One of the most influential events during this time was the “Swim-In at Monson’s”. This event took place at Monson Motor Lodge segregated pool, when the white and black protestors dove into the pool. Which led the owner to attempt to remove the protestors by pouring acid into the pool, forcing them to jump out of the water, into the arms of police waiting to arrest them. In the film Dare Not Walk Alone, the director had the opportunity to travel to St. Augustine decades later, and interview the owner of the hotel, James Brock. The interview consisted of Mr. Brock showing no remorse in his actions to this day. Despite the changes made over the years, and civil right cases that have been passed along the way, that has not changed Mr. Brock’s view. Going back to the time of the unfortunate event, this created a divide in the community. There were the people who were absolutely disgusted by these actions to segregate and discriminate against the black community, while others geared up and were in full swing to continue the battle to end the Civil Rights movement and did not support the African American community.
The Civil Rights movement developed a change within the African American community, and had an impact nationally by the people in St. Augustine. Colburn shows the accomplishments influenced by the people in St. Augustine when he wrote, “In mid-May, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) returned to St. Augustine and conducted daily demonstrations for two straight months. During this period, civil rights leaders varied their tactics to maintain the attention of the press and the public. King himself was arrested, following an attempted sit in at a local motel. The evening marched remained the most dramatic and dangerous because local and state police could not guarantee the safety of demonstrators, even if they were so inclined… At the end of two months of demonstrations, arrests, and violence, SCLC decided to pull out of St. Augustine in mid- July having secured passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964” (Colburn, 7) These great leaders were willing to risk everything, and put their life on the line to stand up for what was right. This draws upon the reason why this piece in history is so crucial, and still relevant. The fight for equality is not over even though all of the people who led the movement then are not around to continue the fight anymore. Those influential people who led the triumphant movement created a platform for the people of today. They shaped a path way so that today we the people can use our voice, and follow that path, while continuing to make changes in the battle for equality.
By incorporating these views, the articles by David Colburn, and Tom Dent offer important lessons that come from these events during the mid-twentieth century, on how the community and activists used their voices to bring attention to the issues, which played an important role within the modern civil rights movement. Colburn described the Civil Rights era in St. Augustine as a turning point, not only for Florida but the nation, “The civil rights campaign in St. Augustine took place just over thirty years ago and it marked one of the major turning points in race relations in Florida and the nation. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), responding to a request from local activists, brought their non- violent civil rights forces to St. Augustine, in the early spring of 1964.” (Colburn, 4). The St. Augustine civil rights movement truly exemplifies leadership, and how having such incredible leaders can impact a city, even the entire nation. Looking closer at one of the leaders from this time would bring you to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is in purest form an example of using your voice to bring people together.
Some of the infamous leaders that led the movement were arrested in St. Augustine during an early campaign. This had an impact across the nation. Dent describes it as an outbreak nationally and it gave the campaign the attention it needed, “Several prestigious visitors were arrested in April of 1964, while attempting to be served at the upscale Ponce De Leon Motor Lodge restaurant. These arrests unleash the hoped- for national publicity, and the little town St Augustine suddenly became the focus of the world wide unwelcome attention for its racial policies” (Dent, 182). This attention helped the African American community shed light on the Civil Rights campaign, benefiting from the national attention they used the public press to gain support.
The civil rights movement is important to highlight because the protestors used their voices and networks that were already in place in the black community to spread the movement nationwide. When Dr. King arrived in St. Augustine to essentially lead the fight against segregation he embraced his role as a leader of the movement, and used the power of his voice, to organize the community and put a plan into action. In St. Augustine, as previously mentioned there was many arrests made, one of them being Mrs. Peabody, mother of the Governor of Massachusetts. Mrs. Peabody used her arrest, and the little political power she had as a resource, and brought attention to the movemen
t. Colburn describes her experience and the interview that helped the movement, “A few days after her arrest, Mrs. Peabody appeared in the Today Show to describe the racial intolerance in St. Augustine and throughout the South. She urged Congress to pass the civil rights bill so that black citizens could freely exercise their rights as citizens of the United States.” (Colburn, 7). Mrs. Peabody used her political platform to reach out to others, and share her story. Spreading like a wildfire, the arrests in St. Augustine brought attention from people across the country.
Throughout the readings, and the film, “The Push For Equality: All Eyes on Florida,” “A Southern Journey: A Return to the Civil Rights Movement,” and Dare Not Walk Alone each in their different way portray how the Civil Rights era in St. Augustine created a divide within the community, while using their voices, and this initiated a social change for everybody. The people who led the Civils Right movement did not intend, nor think that change was going to happen overnight. They worked so hard for future people to follow in their footsteps to continue changing and shaping the rights for everyone in the United States. One of the greatest leaders from this time, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, and it is our job to fulfil his dream and continue the battle for equality.