JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ben Frazier, a Jacksonville civil rights icon who vigorously fought for his community, will be remembered Saturday morning by family, friends and the citizens he served for decades.
Frazier, 73, died nearly two weeks ago after a valiant battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
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A history-making journalist who was the first African American to anchor a major news show in Jacksonville -- on Channel 4 in the early 1980s -- Frazier won several journalism awards, as well as recognition for his work for civil rights and racial equality.
He established the Northside Coalition in 2016 to advocate for civil rights in Jacksonville and last year went to Switzerland to speak to the United Nations Committee to Eliminate Racial Discrimination.
He addressed Florida’s House Bill 1, known as the anti-riot bill, that passed after nationwide demonstrations following the death of George Floyd. Frazier criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers, saying the new law restricted free speech.
Frazier was active and vocal in the fight against the city’s effort to create redistricting maps in the city. And his efforts paid off when a federal judge rejected the city’s plan and agreed with a proposal from the Northside Coalition and other civil rights groups.
Frazier was just awarded the Trailblazer Award at the 2022 Jacksonville Image Awards.
A little more than a month before he died, Frazier continued to be passionate about being a part of Jacksonville’s progress.
“We need people who are concerned about the concerns and cares of all the people,” Frazier told News4JAX. “We need everybody. Everybody has skin in this game. The bottom line is we need to become a city that is too busy to hate. We need to march into the sound light of a brand-new day.”
The 73-year-old leaves behind a son and a daughter and four grandchildren.
There are two different visitation times available for Frazier at The Bethel Church before his funeral on Saturday morning.
The first visitation is Friday afternoon from 4:30-7 p.m. at The Bethel Church.
There will be another viewing Saturday morning before Frazier’s funeral begins at 11 a.m.