Cecil B. Moore

Cecil B. Moore

Cecil Bassett Moore (1915 – 1979) was a Philadelphia lawyer and activist during the U.S. Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.

Born in West Virginia, Moore served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. In 1947, after his discharge at Fort Mifflin, Moore moved to Philadelphia and studied Law at Temple University. He earned a reputation as a no-nonsense lawyer who fought on behalf of his mostly poor, African-American clients concentrated in North Philadelphia. From 1963 to 1967, he served as President of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP. He also served on the Philadelphia City Council.

Moore is best remembered for leading a picket against Girard College which led to the desegregation of that school. He was also a champion of a wide range of causes central to the Civil Rights Movement, including integration of schools and trade unions, and increased political and economic representation for poor African-Americans. He has been credited with helping to restore order after the unsettling vandalism and violence of the racially-charged Columbia Avenue riot of 1964. During his tenure, membership in the local NAACP chapter expanded from 7,000 in 1962 to more than 50,000 within a few years.

Moore's aggressive manner and confrontational tactics alienated many leaders, black and white, including many within the NAACP who preferred negotiation "behind closed doors" over direct action. Moore himself acknowledged how his military service shaped his grassroots activism:

:"I was determined when I got back [from World War II combat] that what rights I didn't have I was going to take, using every weapon in the arsenal of democracy. After nine years in the Marine Corps, I don't intend to take another order from any son of a bitch that walks."

In 1966, NAACP leaders fearful that Moore's leadership was getting out of hand responded by breaking up the Philadelphia chapter into smaller branches. Moore presided over the North Philadelphia branch for one year and left the NAACP on uneasy terms with the organization.

Over time, however, appreciation for Moore has grown beyond the working poor with whom he long enjoyed popularity, and he is cited as a pivotal figure in the fields of social justice and race relations. In 1987, following a successful petition, Columbia Avenue in North Philadelphia was renamed Cecil B. Moore Avenue in his honor.

Sources

* [http://www.wdashistory.org Cecil Moore with Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and NAACP-National leadership] [WDASHistory.org]
* [http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/naacp/9099207.htm Moore's activism countered stereotypes] - "The Philadelphia Inquirer", July 7, 2004
* [http://libwww.library.phila.gov/branches/history.cfm?loc=CBM Cecil B. Moore branch - The Free Library of Philadelphia]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cecil H. Moore — was an architect and builder born in 1913 and active in Tucson during the early and mid 20th century. He worked in the offices of Merritt Starkweather and Henry Jaastad after his arrival to Tucson in 1926. He set up his own firm in 1935 becoming… …   Wikipedia

  • Cecil B. Moore Avenue — Cecil B. Moore Avenue, also known as Columbia Avenue, is a major arterial street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which is divided East and West between the city s Fishtown and Overbrook communities. East of Frankford Avenue, the street is known by… …   Wikipedia

  • Cecil B. Moore (SEPTA station) — Infobox Station name=Cecil B. Moore/Temple University type=SEPTA rapid transit station image size=275px image caption= address=1700 N. Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania line=rail color box|system=SEPTA|line=Broad Street|note=local other=3… …   Wikipedia

  • Cecil Harland Underwood — (* 5. November 1922 in Josephs Mills, Tyler County, West Virginia; † 24. November 2008 in Charleston, West Virginia) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker (Republikanische Partei). Er war 1957 bis 1961 der 25. Gouverneur sowie von 1997 bis 2001 der …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cecil Price — Cecil Ray Price (born about 1937 died May 6, 2001) was linked to the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. At the time of the murders, he was 27 years old and the deputy sheriff of Neshoba County, Mississippi. On the afternoon of Sunday …   Wikipedia

  • Cecil Holmes — Was A Good Friend To Neil Bogart. He Was Born In Brooklyn In 1943. In 1965, Cecil Holmes Worked At Cameo Parkway Along With Neil Bogart. In 1967, Both Cecil Neil Moved From Cameo Parkway To Kama Sutra. Cecil Had Good Fun, While Being The VP(Vice… …   Wikipedia

  • Cecil H. Underwood — Cecil Harland Underwood (* 5. November 1922 in Josephs Mills, Tyler County, West Virginia; † 24. November 2008 in Charleston, West Virginia) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker (Republikanische Partei). Er war 1957 bis 1961 der 25.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Moore — hace referencia a: Alan Moore, guionista de cómic británico; Archie Moore, campeón mundial del boxeo 1952 1962; iguales amateur record que Rocky Marciano: 9 victorias y 4 derrotas!!! Ashton Moore, actriz porno estadounidense; Bobby Moore, ex… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Cecil Moore (soccer) — Cecil Moore was a U.S. soccer goalkeeper who earned one cap with the U.S. national team in a 6 3 loss to England on June 8, 1953. [http://www.ussoccerhalloffame.com/ColinJose/EnglandvUnitedStates.htm] At the time, he played for the New York… …   Wikipedia

  • Cecil R. King — Infobox Congressman name=Cecil R. King width= state=California district=17th party=Democratic term=August 1942 January 1969 preceded=Lee E. Geyer succeeded=Glenn M. Anderson date of birth= birth date|1898|1|13|mf=y place of birth= Fort Niagara,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”