JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is expanding in 2026 to include Jacksonville, creating a local trail of place-based markers, educational programming and storytelling that will highlight streets, neighborhoods and institutions where civil rights organizing took root.
The Jacksonville Civil Rights Trail will include 40 markers, with the first five installed during Black History Month.
The city will place the first marker in front of Mt. Ararat Baptist Church on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at 1 p.m. After February, the city plans to install three to five markers each month.
“Today’s designation reflects collaboration among historians, educators, community leaders, faith leaders, public servants and young people working together to preserve and share Jacksonville’s history with care and accuracy,” Deegan said.
On March 19, 1961, Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “This is a Great Time to Be Alive,” sermon at the church. The speech was centered on nonviolent resistance at a time when African-Americans in Jacksonville stood up to segregationists.
“Today we’re not just here to unveil a marker or simply reflect on history,” Deegan said. “We are here to ensure that history remains visible, understood and connected to future generations. As mayor, I am proud that Jacksonville is preserving these stories with intention, ensuring that our history is neither forgotten nor misplaced, but shared openly as part of who we are as Jacksonville.”
The trail will honor landmark events and everyday leaders who worked across neighborhoods and generations to sustain the movement, the city said.
Other markers will be placed to commemorate Ax Handle Saturday, Springfield Park (formerly known as Confederate Park), Duval County Jail, Bethel Baptist Institutional Church, Eartha White Historical Museum and more.
Launched in 2018, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a collection of more than 130 churches, courthouses, schools, museums and other landmarks, primarily in Southern states, where activists challenged segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. For more information, visit CivilRightsTrail.com.