The achievements of civil rights leaders are being recognized in the Civil Rights Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in the capitol.
Three champions in the march for civil rights- former governor Reubin Askew, Edward Daniel Davis, Sr. and Sallye Brooks Mathis, are being honorably inducted into the Civil Rights Hall of Fame this week. Francisco Penela, Communications Director for the Florida Commission on Human Relations, says the ceremony and hall of fame itself have significant meaning to the struggles of many black Floridians.
“Many of us have personally and professionally benefitted from their works, and it’s important that we- ALL Floridians- recognize their contribution,” Penela says.
Davis Sr. helped desegregate the University of Florida, and Mathis was one of the first women elected to the Jacksonville City Council. They’re the most recent additions to the hall of fame since it was established in 2010.
