BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – In 1946, the civil rights activism of Brevard County educators Harry and Harriette Moore took their jobs.
“The Brevard County Public School Board publicly acknowledges the unjust act of refusing to renew Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore’s teaching contracts by the serving School Board of 1946, and will forever recognize the Moores for their outstanding service and significant contributions ... to the Brevard County School District, State of Florida and the nation,” the resolution read.
“There truly is no better way to celebrate Black History Month than with the signing of this proclamation recognizing these local civil rights heroes,” said teachers union President Anthony Colucci.
He founded the Brevard County NAACP in 1934 and spent the next 15 years starting or aiding nascent chapters in towns across the state.
In 1937, in consultation with the legendary civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall, he filed a lawsuit against the Brevard School Board for equal pay for Black teachers, the first of its kind in the Deep South.