Name/Title
Eula Johnson and Dr. Von MizellEntry/Object ID
5-14714Tags
Eula Johnson, Black History, Women's HistoryDescription
Eula Johnson and Dr. Von MizellPhotograph Details
Subject Person or Organization
Johnson, EulaCollection
Women's History, Gene Hyde Photograph Collection, History Fort Lauderdale Collection, Black HistoryCataloged By
Emeri CejkaCategory
poltical, photographs, civil rights
Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Print, PhotographicNomenclature Primary Object Term
PhotographNomenclature Sub-Class
Graphic DocumentsNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsGeneral Notes
Note Type
Historical NoteNote
Eula Johnson 1906-2001
Eula Johnson is revered by many as the mother of civil rights in Fort Lauderdale. Born in Statenville, GA she was familiar with racial lines drawn within a community. Eula moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1935 where she ran a service station at the corner of Sistrunk Boulevard and NW 11th Ave. It did not take her long to become aware of the segregation apparent in the area. This did not deter her, and by the mid-1950’s she was thoroughly involved with her community. From her service station, Eula would encourage her community members to live and think like equals.
Eula Johnson’s impact on the civil rights movement solidified when she became head of the Fort Lauderdale branch of the NAACP from 1959 to 1967. From this post she took aim at desegregating restaurants, hotels, schools, movie theaters, and public areas. She organized one of the most controversial protests in 1961. At the time, the public beaches of the city were for “White Only”, and Eula felt that if Blacks payed taxes to maintain the beaches, they had equal right to use them. On July 4, 1961, she gathered a group of young people and drove directly to the end of Las Olas Blvd. to wade-in to the ocean. By 1970, after several more wade-in demonstrations, the city beaches were desegregated. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s she organized and participated in multiple protests making an extreme impact on the city of Fort Lauderdale.
Within her lifetime, Eula was honored by the NAACP, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and was given the Kathleen Wright Bridge Award by the Urban League of Broward County. In 2016, in recognition of Eula Johnson’s contributions to the city of Fort Lauderdale, John U. Lloyd State Park was renamed Dr. Von Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park.Created By
eandrews@historyfortlauderdale.orgCreate Date
November 8, 2023Updated By
eandrews@historyfortlauderdale.orgUpdate Date
December 21, 2023