Collage with red patterned background. Bronze scuplture with 4 busts and a coquina base.

Foot Soldiers Monument

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St. Augustine Civil Rights Movement (1951-1968)

The events of the St. Augustine Movement are recognized as being pivotal to the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. However, protests had been going on here for more than a decade by the early 1960s.

By the spring of 1964, the efforts of local Black citizens to secure their civil rights had been ongoing in St. Augustine for over a decade. But that year, summons by local activists led to a collaboration with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Dr. King's presence here earned national attention, attracting droves of American activists to join the demonstrations — from college students to rabbis to New England socialites. Local foot soldiers hosted these "out-of-towners" in their homes.

Barbara Henry Vickers & the St. Augustine Foot Soldiers Remembrance Project

Born in St. Augustine in 1923, Mrs. Barbara Henry Vickers is a force to be reckoned with. Her autobiography, From Rosie the Riveter to Hometown Activist: The Story of Barbara Vickers is appropriately named, as she has worn many hats in her long life.

Decades after marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Robert B. Hayling, Mrs. Vickers served as the President for the St. Augustine Foot Soldiers Remembrance Project. Her longtime dream was to commemorate the everyday people who risked their lives to stand up for African American civil rights in St. Augustine.

Over the course of nearly a decade, Mrs. Vickers and other project members rallied with various communities to make this monument a reality. She collaborated with other local activists (JoeAnn Ulmer of the St. Augustine Four among them), local businesses, and local government to gather funds and permissions to make the monument.

Sculpted by Brian Owens

Based in central Florida, Brian R. Owens is a second-generation professional artist. His involvement in the "Black Arts Movement" of the 1990s included statues of historical figures from African American History.

Of his calling, Owens said: "art is not something I do, it's who I am. ... It chose me ... to make things whose purpose is contemplation and appreciation."

Placed in 2011

The St. Augustine Foot Soldiers Monument was dedicated on May 14, 2011.

In attendance was Mr. Hank Thomas (one of the original Freedom Riders), Mrs. Barbara Vickers, Dr. Robert B. Hayling (leader of the 1960s St. Augustine Civil Rights Movement), Mrs. Carrie Johnson (local legend and "The Voice of Lincolnville"), and hundreds of local delegates and supporters.