New children’s book honors Harry and Harriette Moore
“Freedom Never Dies” tells the story of Harry and Harriette Moore.
Nearly 73 years ago, Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore died when a bomb placed under the bedroom floor of their home in Mims exploded on Christmas Day.
It would be nearly 70 years before the children of Brevard County learned the story of the couple who were murdered in 1951. The two were teachers and activists and were generally considered the first martyrs of the civil rights movement at the time.
It took a concerted effort by local civil rights activists like William “Bill” Gary, president of the North Brevard NAACP and the Brevard Federation of Teachers, to introduce a curriculum about the Moores in Brevard public schools. In 2021, the district added modules for children in fourth, seventh, eighth and 10th grade. They also acknowledged that the Moores’ firing in 1946 was racially motivated and reinstated them as “teachers emeritus.”
But Gary’s goals went even further. As chairman of the board of the Moore Cultural Complex, he wants to ensure that as many people as possible learn about the Moores’ story. This passion gave him an idea: he wanted to give children an illustrated book telling the story of the Moores.
This summer, that dream became a reality with the help of a local teacher. He and other members of the Moore Cultural Complex board of directors commissioned James Burks, an art teacher at Ralph Williams Elementary School in Rockledge, to create a 32-page picture book titled “Freedom Never Dies: The Story of Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore.”
“I think this book provides the young students who read it with a good basic introduction to the personalities of these educators and civil rights heroes here in Brevard County,” Gary said.
The book’s release coincides with Harriette Moore’s birthday and Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Copies were distributed Saturday by the Little Black Book Drive at Cocoa’s Juneteenth Arts and Cultural Festival in Riverfront Park and will be distributed at the Juneteenth celebration on June 29 at Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park in Mims. The book is also available for purchase at the Moore Cultural Complex gift shop.
“I think the timing is right,” said Carshonda Wright, director of the cultural center at the Moore Complex.
“It’s great to have a book out at this time that recognizes the people who used this time to help others achieve the American dream. It makes people realize that even in times of oppression, there were still people who did great things when these kinds of laws and attitudes tried to keep them in check.”
Strength in difficult times
The book, Gary said, is about the Moores’ activism and their work as educators, but it’s also about their life as a family.
“This was the typical American family, except that they had taken a path that ultimately led to their deaths,” he said.
Her values – those that have shaped her family and her work – are reflected in the book and Gary hopes they will inspire readers.
“Henry Moore was a determined man and he believed in the principles of justice, equality, fairness and education,” Gary said. “These are things we want to convey to young readers with this book.”
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Anthony Colucci, president of the Brevard Federation of Teachers, was not involved in the creation of the book, but he fought alongside Gary to introduce the Moore curriculum into Brevard public schools and is very interested in children learning about the Moores’ history and activism – especially since this history happened not so long ago.
“They are learning an important lesson that does not come from ancient history: that it was a struggle for African Americans here in Brevard County, Florida, to get the right to vote and to exercise that right to vote,” Colucci said.
“They have paid the highest price for these efforts.”
And it’s not just about what the children learn. Wright hopes that when parents read the book to their children, they will see the Moores’ strength and find new hope.
“I think parents will understand that even though we weren’t treated fairly back then, there were still people who were successful in life, who were able to build on their experiences and then help the people who were still oppressed or didn’t see a way out. I’m going to help them realize, ‘You can do this too, and I’m going to make it easier for you because I’m going to step in for you,'” she said.
Representation is important
Bernard Bryan attended elementary school in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1960s. Racial segregation was prohibited at the time, but it would be years before schools were fully integrated.
During Bryan’s early years of school, all of his teachers were black, he says, a circumstance that had a huge impact on him.
“Growing up, I had mentors by my side,” he said. “My people included professors, principals and people who were talented in the field of education.”
Bryan, a Brevard resident who has been an advocate for black students on the Space Coast for more than half a decade, said his teachers encouraged him from a young age to get an education and make something of his life. Their encouragement, and the fact that he saw people who looked like him, encouraged him to do just that.
Here in Brevard, the number of Black teachers and administrators is much lower than it was when Bryan was growing up. Data from the 2019-2020 school year showed that there were only 247 Black teachers, about 5% of the total teaching force. 85% of the teaching force that same year was white. That same year, Black principals and Black assistant principals each made up 9% of the respective teaching force.
FLORIDA TODAY requested more current data over seven months ago, but the request remained unanswered.
But seeing a teacher who looks like you isn’t the only way to feel a connection, Bryan said. He’s excited about “Freedom Never Dies” and says the Moores are people black youth can identify with and emulate.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to be proud of my ethnicity now,” he said. “I think if you can read that early, if you can understand that quite early in life, it helps the child become a much more productive citizen.”
While for some children the book is a way to see themselves, for others it is a way to better understand their peers.
Sonya Mallard, cultural center coordinator at the Moore Cultural Complex, said it could be a means of teaching children about cultural differences and even preventing the development of prejudice.
“The book could inspire children to stand up against injustice, promote equality and work towards a more inclusive society,” she said. “I think it can make them agents of positive change and their small communities from a young age.”
Accurate history prevails
Although the Moores’ story is now taught in Brevard public schools, young people still lack knowledge about Brevard County and the nation as a whole, Gary said. This is often not because of themselves, but because of the way they were taught history.
“The Moores were murdered before the start of what we call the modern civil rights movement and have not been mentioned in many history books,” Gary said. “Even if students read history and stuff, they may not learn much about the Moores.”
The fact that BPS organized a field trip for eighth-graders to the Moore Complex was “monumental,” Gary said. And the children’s book is just another step to ensure children receive an education.
“Anything that helps raise awareness of the Moores’ story among the public and students is always close to my heart,” he said.
Gary’s activism comes at a time when Florida’s Legislature and state education agency are pushing back against so-called critical race theory — the concept that racism is inherent in many parts of Western society — and DEI in the classroom and workplace. Florida’s social studies standards were updated in 2023 and then again this year to include a measure that says enslaved people benefited from slavery.
It is a “very problematic” point, said Colucci.
“We support accurate and honest history teaching,” Colucci said. “As a certified social studies teacher and someone who studied history in college, I think the statement that enslaved people benefited from slavery is historically inaccurate. And I would be interested to see evidence of how slaves benefited from slavery.”
Bryan recently returned from a visit to the International African American Museum in Charleston. He said he was surprised at how talented the enslaved people were and that in many cases they came to the United States with these skills. He believes this issue is misrepresented both in schools and in society at large – which is ultimately harmful, especially for black youth.
“Many people who are marginalized have no idea what they can achieve despite adversity and despite difficult times,” he said. “I think that’s a missing link in history that hasn’t been properly taught.”
There is hope that Freedom Never Dies can help close these gaps.
Mallard also hopes it can serve as a reminder of the country’s history and a guide for the future.
“Yes, have we made mistakes? Of course America has made mistakes, but do we want to continue down this path?” she said.
“I just think we need to welcome everyone.”
Finch Walker is an education reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at [email protected]. X: @_Subscribe to.
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