Former activist to share his story
Imagine a bomb placed in your home by the Ku Klux Klan, exploding, killing you and your family. This was Harry T. Moore’s fate, field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1951. After Moore’s death, the NAACP contacted Robert W. Saunders and asked him to take Moore’s position. Saunders successfully filled the position by fighting for school desegregation, equal pay for black teachers and integration of Florida’s schools.
Saunders will give a lecture today at 2 p.m. in the Grace Allen room in the Library to share his stories with the USF community. His lecture is titled, “Bridging the Gap: Continuing the Florida NAACP Legacy of Harry T. Moore.”
Mark Greenberg, director for the Library’s resource center for Florida History said Saunders is a historical figure in the Civil Rights Movement.
“(He) is a legend in the struggle for civil rights. He will share his stories,” Greenberg said. “And (he) is a man of enormous importance.”
Greenberg said USF students and the Tampa community who advocate for equal treatment, civil rights and those who want to learn more about these issues, will be enlightened by Saunders’ lecture.
In the mid 1960s, Saunders retired as field secretary of the NAACP and from 1966 to 1977 held the office of Chief of Civil Rights Division within the Office of Equal Opportunity in Atlanta.Saunders utilized his experience and expertise to oversee the eight states within the Southeast region. Continuing to be active, he calls students to get involved, as he did in the Civil Rights Movement.
More Stories
Meet the Team
Oracle EditorProfile
USF gives it away in Memphis 34-33
At the half, a 14-point lead meant USF was on track to win its first conference game in over a calendar year. That energy was kept up even with under five minutes to go when the Bulls were up 33-20. Then USF watched as its lead went from comfortable, to slim, to nonexistent in the […]
Club teams missing competition, friendship due to COVID-19
Under normal circumstances, Grant Nolder, president of the USF flag football team would be preparing for the club’s biggest competition of the year, the Swamp Bowl. The annual tournament, hosted at UF, typically takes place during the fall semester and features some of the best club flag football teams in the country. Winners of the […]
Bulls battle with ECU in OT win
Coach Brian Gregory said Tuesday the Bulls didn’t play complete, 40-minute games in their two losses last week. It’s debatable if they did Wednesday night against East Carolina (11-18, 5-11) at the Yuengling Center, but it was more than enough to put up a 73-68 overtime win. “It’s funny. There were stretches where we played […]
First SG scholarship rewards student leaders
Student Government (SG) launched the first-of-its-kind, merit-based scholarship to students Nov. 5 on USF’s Tampa campus. As a part of Student Body President Britney Deas and Student Body Vice President Travis McCloskey’s platform, Bull S.H.I.F.T., — Success, Health, Innovation, Finance and Tradition — the SG’s Student Leadership Scholarship consists of two merit-based scholarships which will […]
On-campus Jabil institute sparks anticipation from students
A plan drafted on a bar napkin two years ago has now become the USF Jabil Innovation Institute, a multi-million dollar institute combining the College of Engineering and the Muma College of Business. Senior Vice President of Advancement and CEO of the USF Foundation Joel Momberg and Jabil CEO Mark Mondello jotted the idea down […]