We will celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Cecil B. Moore. Moore was born on April 2, 1915, and lived an exciting life. He was a fearless fighter for justice.
Moore pledged to himself that he would do what he could to reverse racial discrimination and unjust practices and lead Blacks–especially Blacks who were poor. And, help them to uplift themselves and take control of their personal lives.
When Cecil Moore took office as president of the local branch of the NAACP in 1963, he did so with the determination that there would be no compromise with racism in the city in any fashion. He proclaimed that the U.S. Constitution guaranteed Blacks equal access to jobs in both the public and private sectors of the economy, and he was determined that these jobs would be open to Blacks on a non-discriminatory basis.
Moore proclaimed that the political process, responsible for the operations of the City government, would be open to Blacks, based on the philosophy of equal access to its decision-making jobs and power.
Another primary concern of his was how the criminal justice system functioned to the disadvantage of Blacks in the city. There were constant charges of police brutality. As a practicing criminal attorney, Moore observed daily how the court system failed to provide equal justice to many of the poor Blacks who got caught in the Claws of the Courts.
For a complete discussion of Moore’s agenda, see Arthur C. Willis, “Cecil’s City, a History of Blacks in Philadelphia 1639-1979.” Carlton Press, Inc. 1990.
There is no doubt that Cecil Moore was responsible for reforming the criminal justice system in the city and making it possible for his hundreds of clients, many of whom he represented free of charge, to get a fair hearing in these courts.
Cecil Moore and the NAACP used the picket line as their primary weapon to force people and institutions to change their racist actions and attitudes toward Blacks. There was no back seat for Cecil B. Moore.
He created the model to guarantee that those who were too poor to pay would still receive competent legal assistance in the courts. Because Moore brought “sunlight” to the court system, other lawyers found it easier to get a fair hearing in a court system that had become sensitive to the Black poor.
Cecil Moore’s revolution truly transformed the City of Philadelphia and made a democratic process possible.
Cecil Moore believed that the victory at Girard College had the same total liberating effect for Philadelphia and Northern states that the Selma March had for the Civil Rights Movement and the South. Selma broke the back of segregation in the South and opened the way for better race relations. Opening Girard College to Black male orphans broke the back of legal segregation in Pennsylvania.
All of these victories are the legacy left by Cecil Basset Moore to the citizens of the City of Philadelphia.
Cecil died February 13, 1979, at the age of 63. “Gone but not forgotten.” We need more elected officials today like Cecil B. Moore, who will do for their people first.
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