Founding member of Fort Mose Historical Society frames site as part of a centurieslong struggle for Black freedom

Thomas Jackson, a lifelong St. Augustine resident and founding member of the Fort Mose Historical Society, urged recognition of Fort Mose’s place in a long history of Black resistance and liberty during public remarks. He tied the site’s meaning to multiple historical periods and to modern observances such as Juneteenth.

Jackson recounted his family background and early exposure to history, saying his father, a history professor who earned a master’s degree at Florida A&M University, maintained a home library that encouraged his interest in the past. "My father was a history professor," Jackson said, noting the influence of his parents—both teachers—on his civic engagement.

Jackson described Fort Mose as part of "a continuum of efforts" toward freedom, arguing the settlement represents an important chapter in a broader, multi-era struggle. He listed successive eras—"the Spanish period, the British period, the second Spanish period and then the American period"—to make the case that efforts to secure freedom for Black people occurred under each regime.

Connecting Fort Mose’s history to 20th-century civil rights actions in St. Augustine, Jackson mentioned Dr. Martin Luther King’s presence in the city and referenced the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He emphasized that liberty requires continual effort: "Freedom is never free," Jackson said, adding that "we fight for freedom every day" and warning that people can lose freedom if they do not work to preserve it.

Jackson placed Fort Mose within a local and national timescale, saying the nation’s roughly 250-year history and St. Augustine’s "450 plus years" of history make the site "a chapter to Juneteenth." He framed commemoration as an act of solidarity: "none of us are free until all of us are free," he said.

He closed by describing his personal motivation—crediting his parents for instilling a passion for history—and concluded his remarks with a direct appeal: "If not me, who? If not now, when?"