Robert Hayling

He received a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in 1960, where he first became involved in civil rights by participating in marches and lunch counter sit-ins.

He actively embraced the growing cause of civil rights, becoming the adult advisor to the Youth Council of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

However, an agreement to have city officials listen to the concerns of the black community was not honored, leaving Hayling skeptical of promises from Washington politicians.

Hayling encouraged members of the youth council to participate in lunch counter sit-ins, which led to a group of them, known as The "St. Augustine Four" spending six months in jail and reform school.

Parents of the students were promised a reprieve if they signed documents stating that Hayling had "contributed to the delinquency of minors" and if they agreed that their children would not participate in further civil rights activities.

As he gained a reputation for militance, Hayling was threatened with the revocation of the group's charter by NAACP Executive Secretary Roy Wilkins during a phone conversation.

He invited King to St Augustine in the spring of 1964, which was chosen as the battle ground for forcing the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The event, coupled with Hayling's leadership, and with the assistance of local attorney Stanley Wolfman and Cape Canaveral activist Anthony M. Rutkowski, helped make the County Chapter one of the most active in the State as it undertook several noted civil right cases.

Hayling has been written about in many books of civil rights history: by Taylor Branch, David Colburn, Deric Gilliard, Andrew Young, Ralph Abernathy, Dan Warren, and others.