Portraits Renewed and Repurposed in Jacksonville Library
In February of 2014, the portraits of three Jacksonville residents were re-discovered, improved upon and placed in a primary place on the walls of a Jacksonville Northside library. According to the Florida Times Union article, the staff at the Dallas James Graham Branch Library took special interest in the portraits of Mary McLeod Bethune, Mary White Blocker and Dallas James Graham, cleaned them up and had a ceremony to give them new prominence on the walls of the library.
I visited that library on Tuesday and a most kind person, Christina showed me their place on the wall. The frames looked new, the portraits large and a description highlighted all three people.
It was reported The Jacksonville Myrtle Avenue Library Branch opened in 1964. There was not even a plan for integrating Duval public schools until 1967. May 27, 1999, 28 years later, a judge indicated that the Duval Public School System was in “unitary status”. Progress was being made.
Just down the street from the library was Mt. Ararrat Baptist Church whose pastor was the Reverend Dallas Graham. Mr. Graham was known for being a pastor, owner of a funeral home and one outspoken about important social justice issues. He was the man who filed a lawsuit with the Duval County courts to allow Blacks to vote in either/or Republican or Democrat primaries. The judge ruled in his favor and in 1946 allowed Blacks to vote for either party. Mr. Graham died in April of 1976 and a year later, the library was named in his honor.
Mary McLeod Bethune was born in South Carolina “to parents who had been slaves”. Through a turn of events and with the help of someone, she attended college in hopes to become a missionary. Now living in Florida, she began a school for Black girls which over time merged with the Cookman school for boys of Jacksonville in 1923. Mary was president of Bethune-Cookman College from 1923-1942 and from 1946-1947. There is so much more about her life which begs attention including the fact that President John D. Roosevelt donated $62,000 to help her in her progressive network. Also, while serving as President of Bethune-Cookman she made the school library of use to all people. As a result, it became the first free library to Black Floridians.
Mary White Blocker was born in 1871. She was the daughter of William and Josephine White. She died in 1965 but not before making a huge difference in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1941, Ms. Blocker filed suit in Jacksonville, Florida “on behalf of herself and Duval County COLORED TEACHER’ ASSOCIATION and others similarly situated, in the Jacksonville courts so that Black teachers could be paid the same salary as White teachers. Of course.
When I read the article about these people, I just had to go see for myself the tribute, read about it and then share it.
I hope you’re making the difference too.
See you tomorrow,
Nan