Former Jacksonville sheriff, Nat Glover, says he will not let cynicism take root despite the shooting in New Town this weekend and, like 63 years ago he still believes in a better world and that we can move forward.
He was there that sweltering day in August 1960 in what was then a deeply segregated Jacksonville. 17-years-old and had just left his job washing dishes at Morrison’s Cafeteria. Glover walked out and found himself in the middle of a nightmare.
Hundreds of white men with ax handles and baseball bats were attacking Black sit-in protestors in Hemming Park. He endured menacing blows and racist taunts.
He called for help from a police officer that never came that Ax Handle Saturday. A day he could have lost his life. It’s a day that increased his resolve. His resolve to become a police officer and ultimately the first Black sheriff in Jacksonville and the first Black sheriff in Florida post-Reconstruction.
Glover also went on to become the President of Edward Waters College.
Glover recently published a book, Striving for Justice, a profound memoir that highlights the resilience of the human spirit and the power of self-belief. Proceeds will fund the “Where They Will Shine” college scholarship fund through the Florida State College Jacksonville Foundation.