May 27–29, 1964 (St. Augustine)
from Part VI - Extraordinarily Harrowed
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 October 2026
Set in St. Augustine in late May, 1964, this chapter focuses on where Martin Luther King, Jr. can stay in the city. Despite his considerable celebrity, King is unable to stay in any of the “white” hotels in the city—underscoring the critical importance of the Public Accommodations section of the Civil Rights Act, presently held up by a filibuster in the Senate. Facing legitimate threats on his life, King is forced to move from house to house for his own protection. Lincolnville residents like Cora Tyson and Janie Jones offer their homes. King is also offered the use of a beach cottage on Anastasia Island owned by the Canright family. The cottage’s location is given away on Page 1 of the St. Augustine Record. That night there is violence downtown as protesters march to the Slave Market. And late that evening, the beach cottage is shot up—though King had already left to give speeches in California. Apprised of the violence, King wires President Johnson for help, saying, “all semblance of law and order has broken down.”
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