The City of Tallahassee has officially renamed a road after Leon County Sheriff\u2019s office trailblazer, Major James Morgan Jr. at a ceremony on Monday.<\/p>\n
Morgan joined the Leon Sheriff\u2019s Office in 1967. He was just the third Black deputy hired there and eventually became the department\u2019s first black Detective, Lieutenant, Captain and Major. He passed away in 2019.<\/p>\n
Several elected officials, dozens of law enforcement members, and Morgan\u2019s extended family were in attendance Monday when Municipal Way was renamed Major James Morgan Jr. Way. Several people spoke, including retired LCSO Major Carl Bennett, a friend of Morgan\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the beginning of his career, major Morgan encountered many roadblocks. He could not patrol white neighborhoods. He could not arrest white citizens. He could not even do a traffic stop on a white citizen. All he could do was patrol Black neighborhood and arrest Blacks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When Morgan joined, the office was segregated. Bennett said Morgan cleared the way for other black law enforcement officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he would lecture to students at FAMU in criminal justice, they would oftentimes ask, why did you stay and tolerate such racism? He informed them that he tolerated racism because he had a family and also because he wanted to make it better for those who follow behind him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Several members of Morgan\u2019s family spoke, including his brother, Albert Bouie.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe saw his job as an opportunity to protect and serve the whole community of Tallahassee with compassion and dignity. Yes, he broke through the glass ceiling using authority to build people up instead of tearing them down,\u201d<\/p>\n
The renaming was previously approved unanimously by the Tallahassee City Commission. <\/p>\n