May 7, 2021
In 1919, shortly after the ending of world war 1. A group of Black Floridians in Jacksonville established these educational meetings for Black Floridians. These meetings centered on voting and the importance of voting. In the 19th and throughout the 20th century, much of the south had a one-party rule. Southern Democrats had control and, this made it harder for Black Americans' lives regarding economic stability, education, health care and protection from violence like lynchings. And so this group in Jacksonville was like enough is, we are going to participate in the voting process whether they like it or not. And this is what starts the voter registration movement or what historian Paul Ortiz, who wrote a book about this movement, calls The Florida Movement. A campaign made up of Black Floridians and white republicans (the parties were different back then) to register as many Black Floridians as possible. This is the story of the Florida movement and Mary McLeod Bethune's pivotal role in the movement.
To read the transcript of the show, click here The History Of Mary McLeod Bethune and The Florida Movement