Home   •   Departments   •   Citizens   •   Business   •   Leisure   •   Online Payments   •   Downtown Wireless Lakeland Public Library - Special Collections African American Experience in Lakeland Bernard Family Buildings from Lakeland's Past Dancing to the Big Band Sound Detroit Tigers in Lakeland Downtown Lakeland Earl Morgan Savage's Lakeland Early Homes of Lakeland Early Lakeland Postcards Frank Lloyd Wright and FSC Hollis Photos Hollis Photos-Part II Howard Hughes Around the World Flight Lake Mirror Promenade Lakeland Loves a Parade Lakeland Police Dept. Lakeland Takes to the Air Lakeland's Early Churches Lakeland's Hotels Lakeland's Pioneer Families: the Riggins Lodwick School of Aeronautics Munn Park Then and Now New Photos from Lodwick Postcard Images of Lakeland School Daze Special Collections Home The Lakeland Public Library The Pied Piper Players Present Working for a living Main   >   Library   >   Library Special Collections   >   Speccoll Exhibits THE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE IN LAKELAND Back Larry R. Jackson doing research at the city's branch library, which now bears his name. Attorney, scholar, and civil rights activist, Jackson moved to Lakeland in 1974, becoming the city's first African American attorney. He represented the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in its desegregation suit against the Polk County School Board. He worked tirelessly to persuade the city to build a branch library in the Northwest section of Lakeland. Those efforts bore fruit in 1995 with the opening of what is now known as the Larry R. Jackson Branch Library. (Photograph from the Northwest Community Collection, RG420) Lakeland City Hall • 228 South Massachusetts Avenue • Lakeland, FL 33801 • (863) 834-6000   •   Contact Us   •   Privacy Policy