Audrey Nell Edwards facts for kids

Audrey Nell Edwards is an important African-American civil rights activist. She is well known for her part in the St. Augustine movement in 1963. This movement helped fight for equal rights for all people.

Growing Up in St. Augustine

Audrey Nell Edwards grew up in St. Augustine, Florida.

Fighting for Civil Rights

The St. Augustine Four

On July 18, 1963, Audrey Nell Edwards was 16 years old. She joined six other teenagers in a protest at a Woolworth's store in St. Augustine, Florida. These teens were part of the NAACP Youth Council. They had been doing "sit-ins" at lunch counters in St. Augustine. A sit-in is when people sit down in a public place and refuse to leave. This was a way to protest unfair rules.

At Woolworth's, the seven teens tried to order food at a lunch counter. This counter was only for white people. Because of this, they were arrested. A judge offered to let them go. But their parents had to promise the teens would stop protesting until they were 21. If the parents did not sign, the teens would stay in jail. Then they would be sent to special schools for young people who broke rules.

Three of the teens agreed and went home. But four of them, including Audrey Edwards, asked their parents not to sign. These four became known as the St. Augustine Four. The group included Edwards, JoeAnn Anderson, Willie Carl Singleton, and Samuel White. They stayed in jail with adults because there were no places for young people.

A lawyer for the NAACP tried to help them. But the judge sent the four teens to special schools. Edwards and Anderson went to a school in Ocala, Florida. Singleton and White went to a school in Marianna, Florida. People across the country protested their treatment. Finally, on January 14, 1964, the governor of Florida ordered their release.

Meeting Civil Rights Leaders

The story of the St. Augustine Four got attention from many civil rights leaders. One of these was Martin Luther King Jr.. When Dr. King visited St. Augustine, Audrey Edwards met him. She joined him at the Monson Motor Lodge on June 11. Both Dr. King and Edwards were arrested for protesting.

Soon after, Edwards met Jackie Robinson. He was a famous baseball player and civil rights supporter. He invited Audrey and JoeAnn Anderson to his home in Connecticut. The two teens stayed with Jackie and his wife Rachel Robinson for three weeks. They visited places in New York City. They also went to the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Audrey Edwards believed that her arrest record made it hard to find jobs in St. Augustine.

In 2004, Edwards went to a special event. It was held at a church in St. Augustine. The event honored the St. Augustine Four. It recognized their important work for the Civil Rights Movement.

Today, Audrey Edwards is the last living member of the St. Augustine Four.

Her Lasting Impact

Audrey Edwards's home is at 650 Julia Street in West Augustine. It was built for her in 2008 by Habitat for Humanity. This house is now a stop on the ACCORD Freedom Trail. This trail marks important places from the Civil Rights Movement.

The protests in St. Augustine, like the lunch counter sit-ins, are in books. Author Judy Lindquist wrote about them in her 2018 book Forcing Change. The story of the St. Augustine Four is also in the book Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement and Thereafter.

See Also

• St. Augustine movement
• St. Augustine Four