TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The first black Cabinet member since Reconstruction, a lawyer who fought segregation and a leader of the NAACP have been named by Gov. Rick Scott to the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
Two of the three were from Jacksonville.
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Scott's office announced Monday that the selections include the late civil-rights attorney Earl M. Johnson, who battled segregation and represented activists including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Johnson was the first African-American to become a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association. He also served as chair of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners and was instrumental in the consolidation of Jacksonville’s government.
Johnson was committed to fighting inequality and segregation throughout his life and represented many civil rights activists, including King, according to a news release.
His cases helped desegregate many public places in Florida, including schools, parks, water fountains and hospitals.
After he died in 1988, the city of Jacksonville created the Earl M. Johnson Memorial Park to honor his work in the civil rights movement.
Also named was the late Rutledge Pearson, a Jacksonville civil rights activist who served as president of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP.
Pearson was an American history teacher, civil rights leader and human rights activist who focused on empowering students to become involved through nonviolent means, according to the release.
He first became involved in the movement as a baseball player when Jacksonville officials chose to close a park rather than allow organized baseball to become integrated.
Pearson, who died in 1967, was elected president of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP in 1961 and, under his leadership, peaceful demonstrations were held against segregated hotels and restaurants. Rutledge H. Pearson Elementary School in Jacksonville is named in his honor.
The third selection was the late Jesse McCrary, an attorney who was appointed in 1978 by then-Gov. Reubin Askew to serve as secretary of state and became the first black Cabinet member since Reconstruction.
The News Service of Florida and the Jacksonville Financial News and Daily Record contributed to this report.