Duval County

Jacksonville man’s father represented Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after St. Augustine arrest

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —

Dr. Earl Johnson Jr. told Action News Jax his father, Earl Johnson Sr., represented Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. following Dr. King’s arrest in St. Augustine.

Dr. King and others had been arrested during civil rights demonstrations.

“In 1964, Dr. King contacted [Johnson Sr.] because he was interested in a march, or marches, in St. Augustine,” Dr. Johnson Jr. said.

“Which at the time was one of the bastions of white supremacy, a KKK stronghold, and extremely segregated.”

Dr. Johnson Jr. told Action News Jax that prior to protests in St. Augustine, Dr. King and other civil rights leaders, including Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Andrew “Andy” Young and Hosea Williams, met at his parents home to plan.

“My father strategized and helped Dr. King organize those marches. And ultimately, Dad represented Dr. King and others who had been arrested during those peaceful protests. And he did all of the work, of course, pro bono. And was able to gain Dr. King’s release,” Dr. Johnson Jr. said.

“He was actually arrested in St. Augustine but transported here to Jacksonville to be released.”

Johnson Sr. began his career as a civil rights attorney in Jacksonville in 1958 after graduating from Howard University and served as a cooperating attorney with the NAACP.

Dr. Johnson Jr. is now an educator in Jacksonville and heads a nonprofit that works to relocate Confederate symbols from public spaces.

RELATED STORIES:

Hundreds come out for 40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade

40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in downtown Jacksonville

Celebrating life, legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Cummer Museum