Black History Month – Sanford, Florida's haunted past

The city of Sanford, Florida is in today’s headlines as the place where Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.

But the city is also haunted by racist memories of the past, dating back to the early days of baseball Hall of Famer, Jackie Robinson. After Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was sent to train with their minor league team, the Montreal Royals, in Sanford, Florida.

Upon arrival, Jackie Robinson was met by an angry white mob and members of the Ku Klux Klan. They refused to let Robinson practice on the field. It was reported that Robinson had to pry himself through a hole in the fence of the baseball field to join the Royals.

Later that night, Jackie Robinson was forced out of town to avoid serious injury by racist haters. Sanford, Florida’s nightmare of racial injustice went on for years after the Robinson incident.

The story of black civil rights activists Harry and Harriette Moore plagued the community for years. Harry Moore founded the first branch of the NAACP in Sanford, Florida. The teacher was a known advocate for voter registration and the salary disputes of black teachers. It was no secret that Moore’s involvement led to an approximate 31 percent increase of black registered voters in the mid to late 1940’s. Unfortunately, hatred stirred in the local KKK, which had widespread presence in Sanford, Florida. On December 25, 1951, the home of Harry and Harriette Moore was firebombed. It was the couples’ wedding anniversary. They died a few days apart.

Even now, decades after Jackie Robinson encountered one of the worst bouts of racism in baseball history and the death of the Moore family, accusations of racist police brutality and wrongful death continue to lie in the courtrooms of Sanford, Florida.

The city, which is approximately 30 percent black, is investigating the recent murders of three black men. With the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman on February 26, 2012, the entire country has rallied around the victim’s family, demanding justice.