The City of Fort Lauderdale today memorialized the life of lynching victim Rubin Stacy while bringing attention to this injustice and awareness to the negative impacts of systemic racism. By shedding light on the shadows of the past, the City is working toward creating a brighter, more inclusive future for everyone calling Fort Lauderdale home.
Mayor Dean J. Trantalis, Commissioner Robert McKinzie, and Commissioner Ben Sorensen today unveiled a street sign renaming a section of Davie Boulevard, between I-95 and US-441, as “Rubin Stacy Memorial Boulevard” with his family and community members.
“I am glad this day has finally come,” Commissioner Robert McKinzie said.
“A memorial is long overdue to the horrific death of Rubin Stacy and the injustice he suffered,” Mayor Dean Trantalis also said. “As a society, we must learn from history in order to move forward. This memorial will serve as a reminder of the progress we’ve made over the past 87 years but also how far we still have to go.”
“It has been 87 years since the lynching of Rubin Stacy,” Commissioner Ben Sorensen said. “This was a horrible atrocity and what is equally horrifying is to see the faces of the children looking up at this man. My friends, we are not far removed from the legacy of the past and we must constantly remind ourselves that hatred cannot be tolerated and that we must find absolute respect for each other’s humanity. We as a community must work to undo the legacy of racism and work every day to from a more perfect union.”
On July 19th, 1935, the historical record shows that Rubin Stacy, a Black husband and father, was lynched in Fort Lauderdale. Stacy never received legal counsel or a trial after a white woman alleged that he had threatened her. No one was ever charged in this brutal crime.
