Jacksonville ' s NAACP President
His Role in the 100 Years of Change Cost Him His Life earson
By Patricia Pearson Guest Columnist
Jacksonville , Florida
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The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , known as the NAACP , was ·,, .·•,;,,•' founded on February 12 , 1909 on the 100 th Anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln ' s birth . Who would think we would be celebrating the election of a Black President , 100 years later . On February 12 , 2009 , we celebrated the 100 th Anniversary of the NAACP and the 200 th Birthday of President Lincoln . The founders of the NAACP would be amazed that these two events in American history would occur within a month of the inauguration of President Barack Obama , a senator from Illinois and now our nation ' s first African American President .
In 2009 , as we celebrate these special events , we , also , reflect on our past . Many of us will think about the turbulent times of the 1950 ' s and 60 ' s . In Jacksonville Florida , a few of us will remember the role Rutledge Henry Pearson played in making Jacksonville a better place to live .
Rutledge Henry Pearson was a young black man , who loved his hometown of Jacksonville and envisioned that this city could become a place where people of all colors could live , work , and love in harmony and peace . He was a man of ideas , who could motivate people of all ages , races , and income to join him in knocking down the barriers of racial segregation and ignorance . He was a spiritual man who kept God first in his life , knowing all things were possible through prayer and faith .
Jacksonville of the past was a typical segregated Southern city . This meant separate public schools , churches , hospitals , public transportation , etc . If you were black , you used the back door of white businesses , or rode at the back of the bus , or drink from the " colored " water fountain . If you were
black , you know " your place ". In the decades of the 1950 ' s and 60 ' s , Jacksonville would become a battleground for the fight for equality of opportunity and justice , marked by non-violence protests and outbreaks of racial violence . Rutledge would lead this fight .
It is in this environment , my father was born on September 6 , 1929 , as the youngest son of seven children to Lloyd Pearson , Sr ., and Ruth Pearson . ( Today , he is survived by his brothers , Lloyd
Rutledge Henry Pearson Jacksonville NAACP President Patricia Pearson Guest Jacksonville , Florida Summer 2017
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