Eula Johnson

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Eula Mae Gandy Johnson (1906–2001) was an American civil rights activist in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She helped end segregation in public places like beaches, schools, and restaurants. Often called the "Rosa Parks of Fort Lauderdale," she became the first woman president of the Fort Lauderdale NAACP in 1959. As president, she filed lawsuits to ensure equal rights for Black students and fought against segregation in spaces like drive-in theaters. She helped organize "wade-ins" at white-only Broward County beaches in 1961 with Dr. Von D. Mizell and other NAACP members. The city sued her as a public nuisance, but the courts allowed the demonstrations, and Broward County beaches were desegregated in 1962. Johnson died in January 2001 at age 94. In 2011, her home at 1100 Sistrunk Blvd. became the Fort Lauderdale/Broward NAACP headquarters and a museum for the historic Sistrunk Corridor. The Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Hollywood, Florida, is named in her honor along with Dr. Mizell.