MIMS, Fla. — A Space Coast nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about the sacrifice of a couple from the Civil Rights Movement is marking 20 years of service this April.

The Moore Cultural Center in Mims is named after Harry and Harriette Moore, who were civil rights pioneers.

“The Moores were a couple before their time. The things he envisioned, looked at and were concerned about,” Bill Gary, president of the Moore Cultural Center and vice president of the North Brevard NAACP, said.

Gary said the Moores' dedication and commitment to earning a voice for young Black people in Florida was unmatched and ahead of its time.

“It went farther than just learning to read, write and do arithmetic. It was also educating those students about life, about how to be good citizens. Voting in particular, because at that time, voting was well restricted,” he said.

The museum even attracts field trips from Brevard County schools where students can learn about the couple’s history and explore the replica Moore home, which is now in the same spot as where the couple died during a bombing on Christmas night in 1951.

Historians say no one was ever prosecuted for the crime. However, an investigation decades later revealed the likely suspects were Ku Klux Klan members who had died by then.

Harry Moore was the first NAACP member assassinated during the Civil Rights Movement, stated the organization. While the couple founded the local NAACP chapter, Harry Moore was a paid member.

Gary said the couple put their lives on the line for Black voting rights, and they want to honor that legacy.

Leaders with the Moore Center said they are currently working on plans for the 20th anniversary celebration.