Jacksonville has unveiled a new Civil Rights Trail Marker honoring A. Phillip Randolph, the Jacksonville-raised labor leader whose fight for radical equality helped reshape American history.
Located in the park also bearing his name on the Eastside, Randolph attended Jacksonville’s Cookman Institute and became one of the nations most influential civil rights and labor organizers. He founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first predominantly Black labor union to secure a collective bargaining agreement with a major American Corporation. The installation is another step toward ensuring future generations understand Jacksonville’s place in the national civil rights movement.
The marker is part of Jacksonville’s inclusion in the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, a national initiative recognizing locations and individuals in the struggle for equity. The city plans to install 40 markers highlighting these often-over looked contributions to the movement.