Hello everyone,
Evelyn here,
with an exerpt from the current issue of "Generally Speaking".
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Message from Attorney General Bill McCollum
Today marks the first day of Black History Month, a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of so many great Floridians. It is also a time to reflect on some of the unsung heroes of our state and the contributions they have made to our culture, our ability to embrace diversity, and our commitment to protect and cherish our rights as unique individuals.
One of the greatest pioneers in our civil rights history was Harry T. Moore, who founded the Brevard NAACP in 1934 and became its president seven years later. Moore was the voice of hope in the early civil rights movement and worked tirelessly to influence early Florida culture to be more accepting and tolerant of diversity. Harry and his wife, Harriett, were killed in 1951 when their house in Mims was bombed on Christmas night. While his voice was silenced, he still champions civil rights through his legacy. He should be remembered for his devotion to his state and to his cause.
Another individual whose story is rarely told is Willie James Howard, a young man from Live Oak who was tragically murdered in 1944 after he angered one of the towns more affluent families. Although the facts surrounding Willie James? death may never be entirely clear, the fact that his unmarked grave was recently replaced with a clearly marked headstone at the urging of the Chair of the Suwannee County Commission is an indication of progress being made in our state to promote civil rights and furthering justice for all of our citizens.
Both the Moore case and the Willie James Howard incident were reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office of Civil Rights, which also opened an extensive investigation into the Moore case. The Office is empowered to enforce civil rights laws on behalf of the State of Florida through litigation, education, outreach and legislative proposals. Issues addressed by the Office in recent years include disability rights, mortgage lending and other types of economic discrimination. In addition, action was taken on matters involving discrimination in place of public accommodations, racial profiling, and elder exploitation. Recent cases include an intervention on behalf of an AIDS patient of Haitian descent who was denied housing because of his medical condition and a series of subpoenas investigating familial status discrimination in several apartment complexes in South Florida.
I am proud of the progress our state and our nation have made to achieve the great objectives of equality, justice and acceptance of diversity, and I am pleased by the contributions the Attorney General’s Office and its Office of Civil Rights make to that mission on a daily basis.
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Evelyn out.
