[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 21 (Friday, February 17, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E178-E179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF HARRY T. MOORE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 16, 2006

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, as our Nation celebrates Black History 
Month, I rise today to pay homage to the life and legacy of Harry T. 
Moore, a devoted husband, father, educator, and one of the first civil 
rights martyrs of our time. His tireless efforts and unselfish 
sacrifice in the name of social justice continues to inspire and 
empower Americans of all stripes, even now, over fifty years after his 
death.
  Harry Tyson Moore was born in Houston, Florida on November 18, 1905. 
After his father's death his mother sent her only son to live with his 
three aunts in Jacksonville, Florida. In the prosperous and 
intellectual community of Jacksonville, Mr. Moore cultivated his 
intelligence and excelled. After graduating from Florida Memorial 
College in 1925, he moved to Cocoa, Florida. He settled in Brevard 
County teaching fourth grade at the only African-American elementary 
school in the area.
  While there, he went on to meet his future wife, Hariette Vyda Simms. 
In time, Mr. Moore became principal of the Titusville Colored School, 
which taught children from the fourth to ninth grade. In March 1928 and 
September 1930, the Moore's welcomed two daughters into the world. With 
his family and professional life in place, Mr. Moore began an 
additional career in political activism.
  In 1934, Mr. Moore founded the Brevard County NAACP chapter. In 1937, 
by working with the Black Florida State Teacher's Association and NAACP 
attorney Thurgood Marshall, he catalyzed a movement to equalize the 
salaries of Black and White teachers. Although he lost the court 
battle, he would ultimately win the war. Make no mistake, his actions 
inspired many others and ultimately, Mr. Moore helped achieve pay 
parity among teachers of color and their White counterparts.

[[Page E179]]

  In 1941, he organized the Florida State Conference of the NAACP and 
worked as an executive secretary without compensation. His platform 
also broadened as he began to add his voice to issues such as Black 
voting disenfranchisement, segregated education, and later in 1943, 
lynchings and police brutality. He began to organize protests, and 
write and circulate letters voicing his concerns about the issues.
  He also organized the Progressive Voter's League and with his 
persistence and diligence, in 1948, helped over 116,000 Black voters 
register, which represented 31 percent of the African-American voting 
population in the Florida Democratic Party. In 1946, due to his role in 
the League, Mr. Moore and his wife were terminated from their jobs. Mr. 
Moore then took on a full-time paid position as an organizer for the 
NAACP. However, in 1949, over Mr. Moore's objection, the national NAACP 
office raised the dues from $1 to $2, causing a substantial amount of 
members to revoke their membership. This marked only the beginning of a 
strained relationship between Mr. Moore and the national NAACP office.

  During that same year, the landmark Groveland rape case occurred, in 
which four African-American men were falsely accused of raping a White 
woman. Although the men were brutally beaten and no evidence suggested 
that the woman was raped, one of the men was killed, one was given a 
life sentence, and the other two were sentenced to death. With Mr. 
Moore's assistance in conjunction with the legal counsel of the NAACP, 
the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court and the conviction for the two 
sentenced to death was overturned. However, Sheriff Willis McCall, a 
known White supremacist, shot the two men to death as he was driving 
them to their pre-trial hearing. Recognizing this tragic injustice, Mr. 
Moore vigorously advocated for the indictment of Sheriff McCall.
  Sadly, Mr. Moore never lived to see the outcome of his work in this 
case. On the eve of his 25th wedding anniversary and Christmas Day 
1951, Mr. Moore and his wife were killed when a bomb placed underneath 
their bed in the floor detonated. Mr. Moore died in his mother's arms 
on the way to the hospital while Harriet died only nine days later.
  Following the Moores' murder, there was a public outcry in the 
African-American community. Despite massive amounts of mail sent to 
President Truman and the Florida Governor in protest and the many 
protests and memorials organized demanding justice, no arrests were 
made in relation to the horrendous crime.
  In no uncertain terms, Harry T. Moore led without permission, without 
acknowledgement, and without fear. What made his vision so tangible was 
the fact that he believed he could achieve what he set before himself. 
In a speech his daughter gave in 2002, she stated, ``Daddy started the 
movement. He had absolutely nobody but us, and yet he accomplished all 
of those things--the voting, the teacher salaries all of the lynchings 
that he investigated. That's a very important part of history.''
  Mr. Speaker, Harry T. Moore's story is one of such importance as we 
celebrate Black History Month and reflect on the success of past and 
present leaders. For these stories are not only told to recall the 
achievements of African-American trailblazers, but to offer the next 
Harry T. Moore the hope, promise, direction, and purpose needed to rise 
from the ordinary to achieve the extraordinary.
  I shall conclude with an excerpt of the heartfelt words written by 
Langston Hughes in memory of Harry T. Moore:

     In his heart is only love
     For all the human race,
     And all he wants is for every man
     To have his rightful place.

     And this he says, our Harry Moore,
     As from the grave he cries:
     No bomb can kill the dreams I hold
     For freedom never dies!

                          ____________________