After high school, Moore attended Bluefield College. By the end of his service, he had gained the rank of sergeant. His military experience had a huge impact on his leadership style during the civil rights movement in Philadelphia. In , Moore moved to Philadelphia and began studying law at Temple University. In addition, Moore worked in a liquor store to put himself through school.
By , Moore graduated from Temple with a law degree. He quickly established a reputation as an accomplished defense attorney. Through the years, Moore became involved in civil right cases and represented many black lower-class citizens.
It became apparent that fighting civil rights issues solely through the court system was not making much headway. Moore became frustrated with the legislation process and believed direct action would be more effective.
In addition, he criticized the older generation of NAACP advocates for failing to acknowledge issues affecting the working man and lower-class black community. He demanded better job opportunities, education and social programs for lower income black citizens. His use of direct action tactics gave rise to the Black Power movement in Philadelphia.
He believed that unity among members of the lower-class black community was most important element in achieving equality among the races. In , Moore began running a number of campaigns in favor of desegregating Philadelphia building trade unions. The house is a testament to the legacy of Moore, a historic civil rights leader and former city councilman, and contributions to African Americans in Philadelphia. Even after cleaning the graffiti, the slur is still partially visible — a reminder of this racist act against the history of Black Philadelphia citizens.
Moore Freedom Fighters, an activist group that protested with Moore in the s. The Editorial Board is deeply saddened by this event, and we want to use this platform to express our solidarity with all that have been affected by this racist defacement of a civil rights hero.
The Editorial Board would also like to use this opportunity to educate our students on the life and legacy of Moore, an individual whose name marks one of the primary streets and subway stations near campus. Moore was a Philadelphia civil rights leader, defense lawyer and law alumnus of Temple University, according to the Temple University Libraries. He established himself as someone who represented working-class interests.
Moore encouraged everyone to vote and held voter registration drives to facilitate political participation, according to Temple Libraries. He was elected president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP in , and although he was eventually suspended from the office in due to conflict with other NAACP leaders, he never lost his support within the local Black community. As a newsroom representing a variety of different racial backgrounds, we appreciate every sacrifice Moore made during his time in Philadelphia, and we are horrified by the thought of someone defacing his legacy with a racial slur.
Even though he was raised in a middle-class family, he worked vigilantly to appear as a regular person. Not only would this help his law career, but it would also help his own Civil Rights movement in the city. By the s, he became the president of this organization.
He had a successful presidential race and was inaugurated on January 3, Moore organized citizens to protest construction sites that would not employ black workers.
In , Cecil and hundreds of others would participate in his most famous protest out front of Girard College. Even though Cecil B. Moore was successful with his protests, other Civil Rights leaders were starting to dislike his approach. Martin Luther King Jr. In order to strip Moore of power, the NAACP split into three branches in Philadelphia in , so he was only in control of North Philadelphia as opposed to the entire city. In order to maintain his prominence, Moore ran for mayor of the city in the same year, although his campaign was wildly unsuccessful, as he received about 1.
His excitable persona may have damaged his heart, or perhaps it was his affection towards cigars and alcohol. Cecil may have been aggressive, but he was pure in his intentions.
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