By Pat Bryant – The Northeast Florida Offices of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC),located at 631 park Street, recently named their building after 50 year letter carrier Lloyd Pearson. Jim Thigpen, NALC Northeast president shared stories of valor and mental sharpness of Pearson who lived to be 102 as the most active Florida laborite. After World War II, Pearson began delivering mail in 1947 in Black communities during segregated work conditions with segregated unions. Pearson led two unions, one black and another white letter carrier union, to join together into one union: NALC. Pearson served as treasurer and scribe for the union and was a delegate to more than 20 union conventions, attended twenty-five NAACP conventions. His NAACP heroism began with a folding chair and table where he took up shop outside stores and during one voter drive he registered 35,000 new voters. His secret to longevity was to stay busy, and that he did.
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