JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man who was active in the civil rights movement in Jacksonville in the 1960’s is no longer welcome to speak at a school.
Rodney Hurst has spoken to students for years, sharing his experiences about racism in Florida when he was a teenager and young man.
He participated in sit-ins at places such as the Woolworths, and he was downtown on Axe Handle Saturday when some white people took axes and started hitting black people in the streets of Jacksonvile in 1960.
"I want young students both black and white to understand this history. The history they don’t have in their text books," Hurst told First Coast News.
For years, Hurst has spoken at schools, especially during Black History nonth, sharing his experiences.
"I am giving them a firsthand account," he said.
However, this year he will not be going to a Duval County school where he has spoken before. That's because Hurst said the teacher "in talking with her principal, told her principal she wanted to invite me. And the principal told her that she was uneasy about her inviting me to the school."
Hurst would not name the school involved.
He is certain the pressure comes from Tallahassee.
"This is a toxic atmosphere in the city and the state based on the pronouncements that have come out of the governor’s office," Hurst said.
A school district spokesperson told First Coast News she was not aware of the situation Hurst described.
Meanwhile, Duval County schools have yanked books off library shelves to review for content that would be considered counter to new state rules regarding diversity and history. Teachers face a felony charge if they have books at school which violated state rules.
"Many teachers have been frightened. School boards are frightened. Superintendents are frightened," Hurst told First Coast News.
He just wants to tell a more complete history about the city.
"This is what I lived through, and I was not older than some of the youth I’m talking to," he said.