Harry T. Moore was a pivotal figure in the early American civil rights movement. Born in 1905, Moore became an educator and a leader in the NAACP, founding a branch in Brevard County, Florida, and eventually becoming the state president. He tirelessly fought for racial equality, investigating lynchings, advocating for Black voter registration, and challenging segregated education systems.

Moore’s activism made him a target. In 1949, he became heavily involved in the Groveland case, where four Black men were wrongly accused of assaulting a white woman. Moore successfully appealed their convictions, enraging white supremacists. Tragically, in 1951, a bomb exploded under Moore’s home, killing him and his wife Harriette. The murders remain unsolved, but Moore is remembered as a courageous leader and the first NAACP official assassinated for civil rights work.

Born: November 18, 1905, Houston, Florida

Children: 2

Assassinated: December 25, 1951, Mims, FL

Education: Bethune-Cookman University