We may have come a long way as a country since the 1964 arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. outside St. Augustine's former Monson Motor Lodge when it comes to issues of race, but one St. Johns County resident who was there says the city still has a long way to go.
Charles Smith was the first black emergency medical technician in St. Johns County. Born and raised in St. Augustine, he was arrested while wearing his U.S. military uniform in 1964 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
His sister, Yvonne Floyd, was among the activists who jumped into the segregated pool at the Monson Motor Lodge and refused to leave, despite manager James Brock pouring in what he claimed was corrosive acid, at the same time as Dr. King was being arrested on the steps of the motel.
Charles Smith spoke with Melissa Ross about his memories of the movement, and his opinions on race relations in St. Augustine today.
"They haven't moved too much forward, as far as I'm concerned," he said.
Smith also weighed in on the current debate in Jacksonville on whether to change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest High School, named after one of the founding leader of the KKK.
"It's a disgrace to blacks, not only in Jacksonville, but anywhere else in the state," he said of the name.
This interview is part of our continuing series on Black Heritage and race issues in St. Augustine in partnership with Flagler College.
You can follow Melissa Ross on Twitter @MelissainJax and Patrick Donges @patrickhdonges.
