Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, civil right movement leader, passed away today at the age of 89. JTA coverage of the civil rights movement includes one mention of the Rev. Shuttlesworth.
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Fifteen Rabbis Arrested in St. Augustine Pro-Negro Demonstration (Published: June 19, 1964)
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Jun. 18 (JTA) – Fifteen Reform rabbis were among 37 demonstrators arrested here today when they sought to recite Hebrew prayers at a motel involved in a desegregation controversy. The Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, a Negro desegregation leader, led the delegation in prayer. The rabbis arrived here yesterday to join the Rev. Martin Luther King’s desegregation drive. They came from the convention in Atlantic City of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. (Full article)
The 1964 St. Augustine demonstrations proved to be a turning point in the enactment of the Civil Rights Act on July 2 that year.
Read his obituary in the New York Times and watch the following film footage of St. Augustine June 25, one week after the demonstration described above:
Photo above: Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth beside his statue in front of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, April 4, 2007. Wayne Taylor (CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr)
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