Nearly 60 years after the passing of the Civil Rights Act, there have been both great strides toward equality and great stumbles, according to members of the NAACP's Jacksonville chapter.
The legislation passed 59 years ago is meant to provide equal rights to all, regardless of race.
And though there are fewer visible signs of segregation, there still are problems in achieving the goal of equality, whether it's access to jobs, health resources, schooling or something else, they said.
Polly Williams, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Jacksonville chapter, and African American historian Ruth Linear grew up in the era of segregation. Things have improved since they were young girls, they said, but there is so much more that needs to be done.
"We have come a long way in Jacksonville," Williams said.
No longer are there restrooms with toilets only for white people or only for Black people, and restaurants and movie theaters where Black people had to sit in a certain section — both things that were common in the early 1900s.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 83.6% of Jacksonville's population is white, while 10.1% is Black or African American, about 4.1% is Hispanic or Latino and 3.6% identify as two or more races.
There is work to be done to create a fully integrated, equal society, though the exact path to achieving that isn't always clear, Williams said.
The NAACP has been working in Jacksonville consistently since 1952, when...
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