St. Augustine in 1964 became known as Florida's Birmingham. As a vote on the Civil Rights Act loomed in Congress, protests against segregation amplified in St. Augustine, diverting attention from the city's upcoming 400th anniversary celebration of its founding. Instead television viewers saw violent confrontations between protesters and white supremecists, video of black bathers being accosted on the beach or arrested for swimming in segregated pools.
Marches and protests were organized by several local activists for civil rights. Intially, protests were directed to the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, asking that he deny St. Augustine funding for its anniversary events if these events were segregated. Subsequently, the local NAACP and its St. Augustine Youth Council, under the leadership of Dr. Robert B. Hayling, began formal protests against segregated businesses in the city. Demonstrations eventually drew in participation from national leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Andrew Young, and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy.
This website brings together film footage, oral histories, and other source material that document this important moment in Florida and national history.
Jennifer Lyon (UF 2012)
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