Harriette Moore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harriette Moore
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Harriette Vyda Simms
June 19, 1902 West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
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| Died | January 3, 1952 (aged 49) Sanford, Florida, United States
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| Occupation | Educator, civil rights pioneer |
Harriette Vyda Simms Moore (born June 19, 1902 – died January 3, 1952) was an American educator and a brave civil rights worker. She was married to Harry T. Moore. Harry started the very first local group of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Brevard County, Florida. The NAACP is an organization that works for equal rights for all people.
Harriette and Harry Moore were tragically killed because of their important work. Their deaths were the first time during the Civil Rights Movement that both a husband and wife were killed for their activism.
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Harriette's Early Life
Harriette Vyda Simms was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, on June 19, 1902. Her parents were David Ira Simms and Annie (Warren) Simms. She had several brothers and sisters. Her family later moved to Mims, Florida.
When she was young, Harriette spent summers working with her father in Massillon, Ohio. She went to the segregated Daytona Normal Industrial Institute in Daytona Beach, Florida. She later earned degrees from Bethune-Cookman College, which is a college for Black students. She got her first degree in 1941 and another in 1950.
Harriette taught elementary school for many years. She taught in Merritt Island, Mims, and Lake Park, Florida. She even helped cook lunch for the students every day in Mims.
Meeting Harry T. Moore
Harriette met Harry T. Moore while she was teaching in Brevard County, Florida. Harry was the principal of the Titusville Colored School at that time. They got married on December 25, 1926.
Harriette and Harry had two daughters. Their names were Annie Rosalea, who they called Peaches, and Juanita Evangeline, who they called Evangeline.
Working for Civil Rights
Soon after their daughters were born, the Moores started the Brevard County chapter of the NAACP in 1934. Harry Moore also helped create the NAACP organization for the entire state of Florida.
In 1946, both Harriette and Harry were unfairly fired from their teaching jobs. This happened because of their important work for equal rights.
Honoring the Moores
For many years, the story of the Moores was not widely known. But later, people began to appreciate their brave work more.
In 1999, Florida officially recognized the place where the Moores lived as a special Florida Heritage Landmark. Brevard County began to fix up the site. By 2004, they created the Harry T. and Harriette Moore Memorial Park and Interpretive Center in Mims. Brevard County also named its Justice Center after the Moores. This center includes information about their lives and their important work.
Finding Answers
The State of Florida looked into the Moores' case two times. However, they could not charge anyone because most of the people thought to be involved had already died. In 1999, a journalist named Ben Green wrote a book about his research into the case.
In 2005, Florida's Attorney General, Charlie Crist, reopened the investigation into Harry and Harriette Moore's deaths. On August 16, 2006, he shared the results of the investigation. The state found that the Moores were victims of a plan by members of a hate group called the Ku Klux Klan.
The report named four people who were believed to be directly involved. All of them were known for being violent:
- Earl J. Brooklyn was a Klansman known for being very violent. He had drawings of the Moores' home and was trying to get others to help. He died a year after the attack.
- Tillman H. Belvin was another violent Klansman and a friend of Brooklyn. He also died about a year after the attack.
- Joseph Neville Cox was believed to have ordered the attack. He died after being questioned by the FBI.
- Edward L. Spivey, another Klansman, said he was at the scene in 1951. He said Cox was involved in the attack.
The Moores' younger daughter, Juanita Evangeline Moore, helped in the efforts to find out who killed her parents. She graduated from Bethune-Cookman College in 1951. She passed away on October 26, 2015.
