Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Harry Tyson Moore, a native son of Florida, sought to make his home state a better one for Black people. Moore's story is one of the early struggles of Civil Rights in the first half of the 20th century when Florida was still in the throes of segregation.
Moore was born in the Suwannee County community of Houston, about 10 minutes east of Live Oak, on Nov. 16, 1905, the only child to Johnny and Rosa Moore. In 1914, after years of declining health, Johnny passed away, leaving Rosa to raise Moore alone while working to earn a living. A year later, Rosa sent Moore to Daytona Beach to live with her sister. He would only spend a short time in Daytona Beach before moving to Jacksonville to live with three other aunts in 1916.
Moore recalled that his time in Jacksonville shaped his destiny, as he was exposed to a vibrant Black community and was well-loved by his aunts, who provided him with an education and guidance on his future. After three years in Jacksonville, Moore returned to Suwannee County, enrolling in the Florida Memorial College high school program.
He excelled in his studies and graduated in 1925. Afterward, he moved to Mims, Fla., to take a teaching job. Moore began to root his life in Brevard County, where he met his wife, Harriette Vyda Simms. The two went on to have two daughters: Annie Rosealea in 1928, and Juanita Evangeline in 1930.
By 1934, Moore started the first National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter in Florida. Eventually, he went on to help form the statewide chapter of the NAACP.
Through his efforts, Moore was able to get more people registered to participate, which helped in the chapter's efforts to investigate civil rights violations and assist families who had been affected by lynchings, voter inequality and other gross human rights violations.
In 1943, he assisted the NAACP in investigating lynchings that occurred in the state. In one of those instances, he investigated Willie James Howard's lynching in Live Oak in 1944. Unfortunately, despite efforts from Moore to get the case resolved, justice was never served.
Because of his belief that the ballot box should not be limited to one race, Moore formed the Progressive Voters League in 1944 following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against White primaries. He helped increase the number of registered Black voters, most of whom registered as Democrats, to roughly 31 percent between 1944 and 1950, more than any other southern state.
His efforts did come at some cost. For one, both he and his wife, who also helped in his civil rights efforts, got fired from their teaching jobs in 1946. Feeling that he would be blocked from teaching, Moore chose to take up the fight for civil rights by becoming a full-time, paid organizer for the state chapter of the NAACP. By 1949, he became Executive Director of the state chapter.
It would also be around this time that he would take on the most significant case in his career: the Groveland Four. In July 1949, four men were accused of raping a white woman in Groveland, Fla. Three of the four suspects were caught and tried. Another suspect fled Lake County, but was ultimately killed by a posse in Madison County. An all-white jury convicted the three suspects, sentencing one to life in prison, while the other two were sentenced to death.
Moore saw the convictions as unlawful and filed multiple appeals on behalf of the NAACP. Ultimately, the appeals were granted after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling declared the death sentences unconstitutional. On Nov. 6, 1951, while en route to Lake County for a pretrial hearing, Lake County Sheriff Lewis McCall allegedly shot both men who were sentenced to death, accusing them of attempting to escape from police custody.
Moore went on to make headlines across the country for declaring the incident as an injustice, calling for Sheriff McCall's resignation. He wrote to the governor to suspend the sheriff, but ultimately, Sheriff McCall retained his position for another two decades.
Six weeks after the shooting, after celebrating Christmas–and their 25th wedding anniversary–the Moore family home was bombed, fatally injuring both Moore and his wife. It is believed they were the target of a hate crime. Their case would be reviewed over the next several decades, with inconclusive results.
The Moores were the first casualty of the civil rights movement and the only husband-wife team to have died for their efforts. Though Moore's early life was centered around North Florida and his roots in Suwannee County, he spent the majority of his life in Brevard County. The Harry and Harriette V. Moore Cultural Complex in Mims, Fla., sits on the former Moore homestead and serves as a shrine of his accomplishments. It also has a replica of the Moore home on the property.
In Suwannee County, a sign sits at the Heritage Trail, honoring the native son who fought to make Florida a better place for Black people and paid the price with his soul.