FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 16, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Skip Foster
[email protected]
(704) 473-0531
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — From living legends to some of Florida’s and Leon County’s greatest civil rights and education pioneers, an unprecedented gala will shine a spotlight on the people who changed the course of history in our community and the State of Florida.
The ever-growing Florida Civil Rights Museum, Inc.℠ (FCRM), initially grant-funded by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners, is now a recipient of a new state allocation. The FCRM will hold an inaugural black-tie gala event to honor 10 Living Legends and induct 22 people into the museum’s Wall of Distinction.
While all but one of the Wall of Distinction inductees will be honored posthumously, 110-year-old Mattie Mobley is “still kicking,” as she likes to say. Mobley participated in the Tallahassee bus boycott of 1956 and advocated for civil rights and voting rights well into her 90s.
Other inductees include former United States Senator Claude D. Pepper, a staunch advocate for civil rights legislation and the elderly; former Florida Governor LeRoy Collins; former FSU President Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte, a former NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney; R. Frank Nims, founder of Palmetto Beach (the first African-American-owned beach in the Big Bend Area) and Principal of the original Lincoln High School, among many others.
In addition, “Living Legends” who have contributed to the cause of civil rights and education will be honored, including the Rev. Dr. Chris A. Burney, President of the Florida State Primitive Baptist Convention, Inc.; Historian Althemese Pemberton Barnes, and civil rights legend Calvin Barnes; Al and Pinkie Hall, of Tillman Funeral Home; Julie Montanaro of WCTV; Dr. Henry Lewis, former Interim President of Florida A&M University; Gary Yordon, former Leon County Commissioner; Majorie Turnbull, former State Representative; and Curtis Richardson, Tallahassee City Commissioner and the first black male elected to the Leon County School Board. One community champion, Jacob Murphey of WCTV, will also be recognized.
The fundraising event will feature a special enshrinement ceremony and will continue the museum’s mission of raising awareness of the museum’s initiatives.
The event will be held Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at the Tallahassee State College Student Union Ballroom. Very few sponsorships and table seats are still available. Tickets are $125.00 and tables are $1,000.00. To purchase, please visit www.floridacivilrightsmuseum.org/donate. For more information contact Delaitre Hollinger at (850) 296-5590, or Jacqueline Perkins at (850) 294-3768.
About the Florida Civil Rights Museum: The Florida Civil Rights Museum, Inc.℠ (FCRM), is a public charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the civil rights movement in Florida. Through education, exhibitions, and community engagement, the museum highlights the struggles and triumphs of those who fought for equality and justice, inspiring future generations to continue the work of building a more inclusive society.
