"We have come this far by faith" is a familiar tune to most African-Americans.
This song summarizes the experience of Blacks who suffered through the long
night of slavery just to face the dark days of Jim Crow segregation. It was their
internal strength that buttressed them through those dark days and long nights.
Faith and courage inspired them to challenge the system and knock down the
walls of segregation. Blacks have known pain and suffering. They have also
known power and faith, weapons they used as tools of survival. Each victory set
them up for their next battle.

Keeping the Faith tells the story of how African-Americans fought back using
the only weapons at their disposal to break the Jim Crow system. Jacksonville's
Black community's fight for political representation is not special. There are,
however, aspects of this story that differ from any other story. Every Black
community was unique. Therefore, each city developed its own leaders to
facilitate change. The size and strength of Jacksonville's Black community makes
this story different. Blacks in Jacksonville never accepted their second-class
status. They fought back every way they could.

The struggle to elect local officials, coupled with efforts to build institutions,
makes Jacksonville's story extremely interesting. The presence of large profitable
businesses, resorts, and good educational facilties helps explain the success
Jacksonville had in cultivating so many future leaders. The existence of racial
violence rips off the veneer of Florida's reputation as a racially moderate state.
Jacksonville had all of the racial and economic animosities prevalent in other
cities. This book proves that toursim did not mitigate the effects of Florida's long
racist past.

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