The Reverend Theodore Gibson, rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove, is considered one of the pioneers of Miami’s civil rights struggle. He was one of the most visible leaders in the struggle for quality in the 1950s and early 1960s. Gibson helped break the color barrier at Crandon Park Beach on Key Biscayne by leading a group of black on a swim-in in November 1959. He led the effort to integrated Dade County Public Schools by filing a suit on behalf of his son, Theodore Gibson, II. Father Gibson’s determination led to the desegregation of downtown lunch counters and department stores. He was also responsible for the passing of a city ordinance requiring running water for all citizens and the removal of old houses. Additionally, he is credited with helping to establish the community of Richmond Heights.

Father Gibson, a native Miamian of Bahamian descent, was born April 24, 1915 and raised in Overtown. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and attended St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina and Bishop Payne Divinity School in Virginia. He served in the ministry in the eastern Carolinas and Hampton, Virginia before returning to Miami to serve at Christ Episcopal Church. Gibson was married to the former Thelma V. Anderson.

Perhaps his greatest fight was as president of the Miami NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,) when he refused the request of a Communist- hunting committee of the Florida Legislature to turn over a list of NAACP members. He was charged with being in contempt of the Legislature and threatened with a jail term and fine. He stood his ground, and took his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won.

In 1972, Father Gibson was appointed to the Miami City Commission, where he served for nine and a half years. Father Gibson continued to be in the forefront of the local civil rights struggle until his death in September 1982. The Theodore R. Gibson oratorical contest and banquet is held annually in his honor, and an Urban League golf tournament is named after him.