February, also known as Black History month, emphasizes the contributions black Americans have made to the US. But who are some of the key figures from Jacksonville?
A. Philip Randolph was a civil rights activist and labor unionist. He organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters which was the first successful African American-led labor union. He assisted President Franklin D. Roosevelt in issuing Executive Order 8802 in 1941, which banned discrimination in the defensive industries during WWII. He also pressured Harry S. Truman signed a new Civil Rights Act and issued both the 9980 and the 9981 Executive Orders, which promoted fair employment and anti-discrimination policies. Randolph helped spearhead the organization of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have A Dream” speech.
Alvin Brown served as the first Black mayor of Jacksonville, from 2011 to 2015. During the 1990s, he served as Deputy Administrator for Community Development Rural Business and Cooperative Development Services at the United States Department of Agriculture. Brown also worked as the Executive-in-Residence at Jacksonville University. More recently, he was named a candidate for United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Biden Administration.
James Weldon Johnson was a civil rights activist and also the executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Along with being a civil rights advocate, he also was an author known for his works during the Harlem Renaissance. His books and poems detailed black culture. He also wrote the time-honored anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Politically, he was appointed by Theodore Roosevelt as a U.S. consul in Venezuela and Nicaragua for 7 years. After that, he became the first black professor at New York University where he taught Creative Writing.
Derrick Henry, who is also known as “King Henry,” is a running back for the Tennessee Titans who was born and raised in Jacksonville, Fl. Henry was selected by the Titans in the 2016 draft and since then, he’s been a four-time Pro Bowl selection. In 2019 and 2020, he led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He is also the 8th player in the NFL to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.He won NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2020.
Bob Hayes, also known as “Bullet Bob,” was a professional football player and an Olympic Gold Medalist. He played for the Dallas Cowboys for 11 seasons from 1965 to 1975 and was enshrined in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor as well as in 2009 he was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame. While he was with the Cowboys, he won a Super Bowl, which makes him the only athlete to have ever won a Super Bowl and an Olympic gold medal. He used to hold the world record for the 70-yard dash with a time of 6.9 seconds, and he is still tied for the world’s second fastest 60-yard-dash. For his many accomplishments he was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame.
