A.G. Gancarski
In the annals of civil rights in Jacksonville, Thursday proved to be major, with both the President and his principal challenger making their plays.
Thursday was the 60th anniversary of the infamous Ax Handle Saturday on Aug. 27, 1960.
In the morning, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden issued a statement, placing the racist mob attack in the context of today’s civil rights struggles.
And by the time the day was over, President Donald Trump, following guidance set forth by a resolution introduced in the House by Democrat Al Lawson, designated the former Hemming Park, newly renamed after James Weldon Johnson, part of the African American Civil Rights Network of historical places.
“Sixty years ago today, a group of young leaders from the Jacksonville Youth Council NAACP staged a sit-in at segregated lunch counters in Jacksonville, Florida, where they were met by an angry white mob wielding ax handles and baseball bats. This tragic event, now known as Ax Handle Saturday, leaves a lasting mark on Jacksonville, as both a testament to the progress that has been made and a reminder that we must always stand up for what’s right,” Biden wrote Thursday.
The former Vice President noted that the fight against racism is far from over.
“Today, we continue their fight against injustice and for equality – for Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and far too many more. These tragic murders, and brutal acts of excessive violence against individuals like Jacob Blake, have stirred Americans to speak out and demand change,” Biden said.
Sen. Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, also offered her take.
“On this day 60 years ago, activists — like Rodney Hurst — with their hearts set on equality, were attacked in Jacksonville’s Hemming Park. Ax Handle Saturday left a lasting scar, but continues to serve as a call-to-action for generations,” Harris tweeted.
While the Democrats were in position to issue statements, the Republican White House could do more, and did.
Trump had intended to hold his Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, under the presumption that a full-occupancy, mask-free event would be possible. The proposed move roiled activists, who saw the RNC happening during this period of historical remembrance as a singular affront.
The President’s proclamation refers to Ax Handle Saturday prominently, noting that what was then the largest civil rights demonstration in local history was “brutally attacked by a mob of Ku Klux Klan and White Citizens Council members carrying baseball bats and ax handles.”
The newly renamed James Weldon Johnson Park, sometimes called the “front door to City Hall,” was previously named for a Civil War veteran who gave the city a Confederate monument.
That monument was removed earlier this summer.
3 comments
Joe Fatala
August 27, 2020 at 3:56 pm
As unsual, too little, too late from the Sociopath in Chief in the White House.
Sonja Fitch
August 27, 2020 at 4:17 pm
Til the name Jacksonville is changed back to Cowford. Every step counts. But Jackson name has got to go!
Lawbreakers
September 1, 2020 at 4:51 am
Waaa Waaaa Waaaaaa they got what they deserved. If they would have obeyed the law at the time, Ax Handle saturday would not have happened, correct????
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