COCOA, Fla. – Cocoa’s Harry T. Moore Center celebrated its 100th anniversary with a ceremony on Saturday afternoon.
Constructed in 1923, the school is the oldest still standing Rosenwald School in Florida that served Cocoa’s Black students, according to a news release.
Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, philanthropist and president of Sears Roebuck, built state-of-the art schools for African American children across the South, including the one in Brevard County.
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Built during segregation, the building served as Cocoa’s Rosenwald School and was named Cocoa Junior High School – a school for African American children in the Cocoa community – and the only school that served Black children at the time.
The building was renamed after early civil rights activist, Harry T. Moore who taught at the school in 1925 for two years before becoming a principal in Titusville.
In 2014, the City of Cocoa acquired the property and dedicated a portion of the building to become the Leon and Jewel Collins Museum of African American History and Culture in 2017.
“The Centennial Celebration promises to be a remarkable event, filled with activities that pay homage to the school’s rich history and its profound influence on the city. It is a testament to the resilience, strength, and unwavering commitment to preserving and honoring our diverse and rich history here in Cocoa. Join us as we honor a century of excellence, as we come together to celebrate the remarkable journey of the Harry T. Moore Building which continues to inspire, educate, and uplift our community,” said Cocoa Mayor, Michael C. Blake.
Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore started off as educators in segregated public schools, and it’s because of what they saw, they became Civil Rights activists.
In 1925, Harry established the Brevard County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and became its president.
The couple spoke out on a number of issues—the Brevard County School Board spending less on Black students, Florida having the highest rate of lynchings in the South and getting more than 116,000 Black Americans registered to vote.
On Christmas night in 1951, a bomb exploded under their home in Mims. It was their 25th wedding anniversary. Both died from the blast—they’re the only husband and wife to be killed in the civil rights movement.