Editorial on Merrick missed the full story

Re the May 13 editorial, “Praise the good, acknowledge the bad:” Segregation in Florida was the law of the land in 1937, mandated by the state constitution of 1885. Black and white residential areas were kept separate by law, and George Merrick had no choice but to follow the law.

Henry Flagler had created Colored Town at the turn of the 20th century, keeping Black people on the west side of his railroad tracks. Living conditions were deplorable. Mortuary records of that era chronicle a horrific litany of unnecessary deaths from typhoid, yellow fever, tuberculosis, and other diseases. Due to the flimsy nature of the buildings, house fires were a common occurrence, often wiping out entire families. Most significantly, Black residents had no access to water or basic sanitation.

In a speech, reported in the Miami Herald on May 23, 1937, Merrick made an impassioned plea on behalf of Miami’s Black population, describing their living conditions and the unfair, shortsighted and wrong ways they were treated. He proposed destroying Flagler’s awful slums and move the people to new, healthy locations with decent housing and access to water.

Merrick argued that Blacks represented one third of Miami’s population and deserved fair treatment: “We cannot receive fairness unless we give fairness … it is proposed to give fairness to this deserving one third of our citizenry.” Far from being a racist, Merrick was a compassionate visionary constrained by the segregationist laws and racial limitations of the society in which he lived.

Merrick died in 1942, penniless and childless, leaving no heir to preserve and honor his memory. All that is left of him is his vision, a beautiful vibrant city, an ungrateful university — and his name.