Revealing Tampa’s Hidden Civil Rights History

A pivotal moment in Tampa’s Civil Rights history remains largely unknown, even to many locals. This chapter, absent from history books, resurfaced through a 2023 play commissioned by Stageworks Theatre. Directed by Karla Hartley, the production highlights the historic sit-ins at the F.W. Woolworth lunch counter on North Franklin and East Polk Streets and the groundbreaking Tampa Technique.

Written by Tampa playwright Mark E. Leib, When the Righteous Triumph captures the February 29, 1960 sit-ins led by Clarence Fort, President of the NAACP Youth Council, and civil rights leader Rev. A. Leon Lowry, who mobilized approximately 40 George S. Middleton and Howard W. Blake High school students to stand against segregation. For five days, they marched, staged sit-ins, faced refusal of service, and then respectfully exited, all to integrate Tampa’s ‘Whites Only’ lunch counters.

Leib discovered a book, Saloons to Steakhouse: A History of Tampa, and found a chapter titled “The Place at the Table,” which covered the sit-ins. He spoke with Fort, Rev. Lowry’s widow, and others involved in the protests. He also studied interviews with Klan members to ensure the story’s accuracy.

“As I researched it more closely, I discovered all sorts of shocking things I didn’t know even though I was born in Tampa. In 1960, an African American was not allowed in a movie theater, a bowling alley, at Lowry Park Zoo, or to sit at a public lunch counter and have a cup of coffee. They were allowed only to stand at the end of the counter, take their food, and leave. I thought this was something I didn’t know anything about, and probably most people in Tampa don’t know.”

Then-Mayor Julian Lane introduced the Tampa Technique, deploying police to protect the sit-in demonstrators and prevent violence.

Leib explains, “He didn’t want Tampa to become a byword for racial oppression. It already happened in Montgomery and Little Rock, and what those cities meant to people throughout the United States was a home for prejudice and violence. (In the Tampa Technique), the police did not arrest anybody who was not doing anything violent and made sure that the white protesters did not get close enough to the demonstrators to do them harm, and it worked very well.”

By September, Tampa’s lunch counters were integrated. Mayor Lane never won another election in Florida.

Among these courageous activists was former Florida Senator Arthenia Joyner, then a 17-year-old Middleton High School student, who stood up to racism by sitting down.

“We were asked if we would want to participate in a lunch counter sit-in, and, of course, I said yes. I wanted to go and participate because I felt that I was not being treated equally, and consequently, having experienced prejudice- that was the term in the ‘60s. It wasn’t called racism or discrimination – And so I had experienced prejudice, and I was anxious to be invited to claim dignity and respect.”

In 2025, Senator Joyner joined prominent community and political leaders Pam Iorio, Dick Greco, Bob Martinez, retired Judge E.J. Salcines, former state CFO and candidate for governor Alex Sink, former U.S. Representative Jim Davis, and Shirley Lowry (Widow of Rev. Lowry) to raise $500K to bring When the Righteous Triumph to Straz’s Jaeb Theatre.

Clay Christopher, who plays Rev. Lowry, is grateful for his time with Shirley Lowry. “The most rewarding part of this project has been the relationship I cultivated with Mrs. Lowry. She has been so accessible in helping me learn more about the Reverend and has become like another mother to me. She blessed me with many of the Reverend’s clothes. I wear Reverend Lowry’s clothes in the show, and getting to wear the man’s clothes – there’s something magical about it.”

Leib explains the importance of realizing this true story happened only three generations ago.

“These demonstrations and this bigotry that I write about was not a long time ago when if you were an African American, you didn’t dare drive through parts of Plant City. You could get lynched, and as long as Americans are not vigilant about keeping racism from resurging, it can resurge.”

Christopher added, “As my character says, at the end of the show, there’s still a lot more work to go, and unfortunately, that’s still true today, and sometimes, when peaceful people can’t get their voices out, it can cause chaos. I hope our message in the play sheds some light on what can happen and what should happen moving forward in our lives today.

“I’d like them (the audience) to learn that Tampa was once the epicenter of a civil rights movement that they’ve usually heard only took place in other cities and states, that the issues involved are of immediate interest to them and relevant. I’d like them to know that racism was alive and well only 65 years ago in Tampa. And it’s not dead yet.”

Senator Joyner is honored to see her story brought to life on stage, hoping it will shed light on the striking parallels between past and present struggles marginalized communities face.

“It is a continuous fight. I think it’s always to me, as a black woman, if you aren’t white in America, you’re going to experience racial injustice. You can never stop fighting for the right to dignity, respect, and all the Constitution says we should have – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I want the same things everybody else has for my grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. We work twice as hard to do that other people don’t have to do, but we’re never going to stop the fight for equality and social justice in this country.

“I think the play will open their eyes as to what happened back then, and then people will be in a position to maybe educate themselves on what is happening now and how it relates to what they can do to ensure that we never go back. Nobody should be mistreated. Nobody should be trampled on. We need to work together to make America live up to its promise. The question becomes, can somebody turn the clock back and take us back to this?”

When the Righteous Triumph is a testament to the resilience and determination of those who fought for civil rights. This production serves as both an educational experience and a poignant reminder of the struggles and triumphs that shaped Tampa.

When the Righteous Triumph returns to the Jaeb Theatre for 7:30 PM performances on March 6th, 7th, and 8th and 2 PM matinee performances on March 8th and 9th with pre and post-show discussions with sit-in participants and local leaders. Over 10,000 local students are expected. For information and tickets, visit stageworkstheatre.org. •