The Weekly Challenger, Published By Frank Drouzas
ST. PETERSBURG — The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg held a reflective discussion with Courageous 12 member Leon Jackson, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway, and former St. Petersburg Police Chief Goliath Davis, III, with Rev. Kenny Irby as moderator on April 27.
Jackson is the last living member of the Courageous 12, a group of African-American officers that sued the city in the 1960s to gain the rights of their white counterparts. They ultimately won, leading to sweeping changes within the police department.
In recognition of Jackson’s and his fellow officers’ legacy, Mayor Ken Welch presented an official proclamation naming April. 27, 2023, as The Courageous 12 Day.
“Despite what some may say, history does matter,” Welch said. “And history tells us that the Courageous 12 fought a battle that was instrumental not just locally but nationally in the fight for equal rights.”
The Courageous 12 and their fight for equality led to systemic change and opportunity in St. Pete, the mayor said, as African Americans began breaking color barriers not only within the police department but government offices in the city.
The other policemen who joined Jackson in the groundbreaking lawsuit — which they won on an appeal with help from the NAACP in 1968 — included Adam Baker, Freddie Crawford, Raymond DeLoach, Charles Holland, Robert Keys, Primus Killen, James King, Johnnie Lewis, Horace Nero, Jerry Styles, and Nathaniel Wooten. Read more
