Photo: Detroit Publishing Company | Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
Florida's St. Augustine is the oldest city in the US, whose long complicated civil rights history unexpectedly brought together two men, one Black and one White, at a Ku Klux Klan rally in 1963. The Black man, James Jackson, now 77, one of four men beaten at the rally, was about to be burned to death. The White man, Irv Cheney, now 95, was there at the request of civil rights colleagues. Seeing what was happening, he called the local sheriff, who appeared on the scene and rescued the four men before the kerosene arrived. But not until Cheney's daughter saw a local newspaper story and called her father, now 95, had the two men ever spoken. The city recently recognized Jackson with an achievement award during Black History Month, which calls on citizens to continue efforts to create a world that is more just, peaceful, and prosperous for all.
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