Ax Handle Saturday facts for kids

Ax Handle Saturday, also known as the Jacksonville riot of 1960, was a sad event in Jacksonville, Florida. It happened on August 27, 1960. A group of white men attacked African Americans. These African Americans were peacefully protesting racial segregation. Segregation meant keeping people of different races separate. The attack took place in Hemming Park. It got its name because the attackers used ax handles.

Why People Protested

James Weldon Johnson Park (then called Hemming Park) was a very busy place. Many protests for civil rights happened there in the 1960s. On August 13, 1960, Black students started "sit-ins." They went to places like Woolworths and Morrison's Cafeteria. These places had separate lunch counters for white and Black people. The students asked to be served at the "whites only" counters. They were not served. Instead, they were kicked, spit on, and called hurtful names.

The Day of the Attack

On August 27, 1960, about 200 white men gathered in Hemming Park. Many of them were members of the Ku Klux Klan. They carried baseball bats and ax handles. They attacked the students who were doing sit-ins. The violence quickly spread. The white mob started attacking any African Americans they saw.

What Happened Next

A Black street gang called the "Boomerangs" arrived. They came to help protect the peaceful protesters. The police had not stepped in when the protesters were attacked. But when the Boomerangs arrived, the police got involved. They arrested members of the Boomerangs. They also arrested other Black residents who tried to stop the beatings.

Nat Glover later became the sheriff of Jacksonville. He remembered being near the riot that day. He said he went to the police for help. He expected them to arrest the attackers. Instead, he was told to leave the area or risk being hurt.

Some white people also joined the Black protesters. Richard Charles Parker, a student, was one of them. White protesters were often disliked by racist groups. When the fighting started, Parker was quickly moved away for his safety. The police had been watching him. They arrested him and accused him of causing trouble. Parker said he was proud to be a member of the NAACP. He was then sent to jail for 90 days.

After the Attack

After Ax Handle Saturday, people in the community met. They held discussions at the Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church. They worked to find solutions. In 1961, lunch counters in Jacksonville were finally desegregated. This meant people of all races could eat together.