Franklin Florence


Franklin Delano Roosevelt Florence, Sr. is a minister who has been heavily involved in civil rights work in Rochester, New York for five decades. He is most well known as the founder and first president of the civil rights group, F.I.G.H.T in 1965 after the 1964 Rochester race riot. He currently serves as the senior pastor at the Central Church of Christ and F.I.G.H.T. Village apartments in Rochester, New York.

Early life

Florence was born in 1934 to Hozel and Berth Florence. He came under the influence of evangelist Marshall Keeble in his mid-teens. He was educated at Nashville Christian Institute from 1948 to 1952. He later attended Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, dropping out after two years to return home. On his return he was ordained and became pastor of the 18th Street Church of Christ in West Palm Beach. He moved to Rochester in 1959. At the age of 25, Florence was recruited to become the pastor of the Reynolds Street Church of Christ in Rochester, NY, where he moved with his wife and children. He immediately became involved with endeavors aimed to help improve the living conditions of blacks living in the Rochester community.

Civil Rights Advocacy

Founding of Fight

Minister Florence was a founder and the first president of F.I.G.H.T.. Its first convention in Rochester attracted 1,500 people. F.I.G.H.T. was established in 1964, although the organization’s first official constitution was not ratified until 1965. Originally, the F.I.G.H.T. acronym stood for, though that was later changed to Independence as the group adopted more Black Power strategies.