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Ax -Handle Riot |
Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum
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Racial issues have never been easy, not even in Jacksonville.
Many years ago, our town was very segregated
and racial tensions were high. Segregation was a ridiculous thing people did because of hate. They separated water fountains, schools, lunch counters, stores, etc. Sometimes the hatred went beyond arguing and bad words and moved to violence. The day was August 27, 1960. Jacksonville had begun the big struggle to integrate blacks and whites. Organized by the NAACP, a few young African American teenagers refused to leave a lunch counter that was take-out for blacks only. Some restaurants did not allow black customers at all. Others would let them come, but they wouldn't be allowed to stay to eat. Whites were really angry about the sit-in and the insistence on integration. A crowd of angry white men stood together in Hemming Park (now Hemming Plaza) with baseball bats and ax-handles ready to fight the protesters. One of the most violent protests started because of a sit in by teenagers. It wasn't just the protest. It was also triggered by hate and fear by racist white people. Ax Handle Saturday broke out. The men hit every African American they could find, even children. This was one of the most degrading times in Jacksonville's history. The results of the Axe Handle riot were horrifying. Fifty people were injured and sixty- two were arrested that day. This was a rude awakening for the strong need to integrate. They needed to find peace within the races. If not, another incident like the ax-handle riot could occur. By Katie Plank
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