On a sweltering day in August 1960, in the segregated Deep South city of Jacksonville, Florida, a seventeen-year-old Black boy finished his dishwashing job at Morrison’s Cafeteria, walked out the back door, and found himself in the middle of a nightmare.
Hundreds of white men with ax handles and baseball bats were attacking Black sit-in protestors in Hemming Park. Suddenly surrounded, the young man endured menacing blows and racist taunts. He called for help from a white police officer standing nearby, but no help came. And he felt an unwarranted shame he determined never to feel again.
His name was Nat Glover.
Nat’s life could have ended that day, but instead, the ordeal reinforced his plans to become a police officer. His belief in a better world could have faded to cynicism, but instead, it took root in his spirit. His desire to overcome the poverty and racism of his youth could have given in to shame, but instead, Nat resolved to dedicate his life to honoring the dignity of all people.
Nat Glover went on to serve in law enforcement for thirty-seven years, became the first Black sheriff in Jacksonville and the state of Florida since Reconstruction, and chose—again and again—to do the right thing at the right time for the sake of justice, compassion, and truth.
In Striving for Justice, Nat recounts his history-making years in police reformation, the values that fuel him as a leader and American citizen, and what he believes will move this country forward toward hope and healing just as he once rose again … against all odds.
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