John Henry Rivers
John Henry Rivers is the former president of the NAACP’s Sarasota branch.
He moved to Sarasota from Mobile, Alabama in 1951 in search of work to support his family. Instead, Rivers found himself in the midst of a struggle for racial equality. In the 1950s and 1960s, Sarasota was a hotbed of segregation. Rivers accepted the challenge to fight for the integration of beaches, the school system and local politics as a leader of Sarasota’s Civil Rights Movement. He registered voters and announced poll locations by riding through Newtown with a bullhorn. He fought battles for (but not limited to) equality in employment, salary, mail delivery, service at restaurants, and banking. Mr. Rivers oral history interview was provided by New College of Florida Oral History Program.
