The 44 Percent: An ode to the lives and legacies of Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore
Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore deserved more.
They deserved to be celebrated. They deserved to be in lesson plans. And, most importantly, they deserved life.
In honor of the 70th anniversary of their assassination on December 25, we decided to give them just that: a package (and a newsletter) honoring their life, sacrifices and legacy. From today through the rest of the weekend, the story will be available without a hard paywall so be sure to read, tell a friend and tell a friend to tell a friend.
OUTSIDE THE 305
‘Florida’s hero is Harry T. Moore.’ The fight to bring a Civil Rights icon’s story to life:
Ben Green, the author of “Before His Time: The Untold Story of Harry T. Moore, America’s First Civil Rights Martyr,” told me that there were three tragedies related to the Moores’ untimely death. The first is that they were killed Dec. 25, 1951. The second is that their murder was never truly solved. The third, and arguably most significant, tragedy is that their story was seemingly erased from the history books.
With that in mind, I wanted to a pay tribute to a man who was, excuse my colloquialism, flat out gangster (check the list of accomplishments below to find out more). What he did, in the time period he did it, was just incredible. Harry Moore truly was “Florida’s hero.”
After 70 years, there’s no definitive answer to who killed Harry and Harriette Moore:
The fact that his murderers will never truly be known is horrendous. We do, however, know that the Orange County Ku Klux Klan was involved but the specifics have been long since buried. That said, I wanted to put together a comprehensive list of who might have been involved, though, as Green mentioned, the evidence isn’t clear enough for us to names.
What truly angers me is that it’s clear somebody, somewhere didn’t want the perpetrators of such a devastating crime to be found. It really makes you think about who the people in positions of power are meant to protect.
A list of Florida Civil Rights legend Harry T. Moore’s accomplishments:
From teaching Black children how to vote decades before they would cast a ballot to spearheading independent lynching investigations, Harry Moore was truly an agent of change. I knew that my main story wouldn’t get into all of these accomplishments so this list was a must.
ONE LAST THING
One of the most harrowing revelations of Green’s account of the Moores’ murder investigation was that the KKK had infiltrated Orange County’s local government and law enforcement. After seven decades, it would appear that not much has changed.
In a recent Associated Press report, a former FBI informant revealed he was an undercover KKK member for years. Joseph Moore, as he was called, wore a wire and helped do more than his fair share of klanbusting:
The married father of four would help the federal government foil at least two murder plots, according to court records from the criminal trial for two of the klansmen. He was also an active informant when the FBI exposed klan members working as law enforcement officers in Florida at the city, county and state levels.
With Harry Moore’s case likely unsolved due to KKK involvement at the law enforcement level, I just thought this report would bring it full circle.
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.
