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MELBOURNE, FL – On Wednesday, April 3, 2013, the United States Post Office located at 600 Florida Avenue in Cocoa, Florida, will be officially designated the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Post Office. The ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM and will feature remarks from Deirdra Rhodes, Officer in Charge, Cocoa Post Office; Tyler Furbish, Deputy Mayor, City of Cocoa; Dr. Brian Binggeli, Superintendent of Brevard County Schools, U.S. Congressman Bill Posey and Juanita Evangeline Moore, daughter of Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore.

“Designating a United States Post Office in Cocoa will commemorate the Moores' legacy in a town where Mr. Moore began his service to others,” said Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) who sponsored legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to rename the Post Office in honor of the Moores. “The Moores left a legacy that remains close to the hearts of community members, and one that has already outlasted the lengths of their lives that were so tragically cut short.”

Local educators and leaders in the modern civil rights movement, Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore are remembered for their dignity, compassion, and emphasis on education. The Moores first founded the Brevard County Chapter of the NAACP in 1934, which led to a Statewide NAACP Conference in 1941. Mr. Moore served as the President of the Florida State Conference of NAACP chapters, as well as the founder and Executive Director of the Progressive Voters League. The Moores championed such issues as equality, education, and voter registration.

As the couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on Christmas Eve, 1951, a bomb exploded beneath their home. The tragic murder sparked an even more resounding outcry for civil rights. Harry T. Moore has been called the first American civil rights’ martyr. On November 28, 2012, the U.S. House passed H.R. 2338 introduced by Congressman Posey to name this Post Office in honor of the Moores and it became public law 112-243 earlier this year.

“Both of these fine citizens undoubtedly touched the lives of others with the dedication, integrity, persistence, compassion, and commitment each of them so courageously demonstrated,” said Posey.