Alcee Hastings: A Legacy of Service in Florida and Beyond

New Alcee Hastings Collection

AARLCC is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit celebrating a significant addition of archival materials to the Alcee Hastings Collection, recently gifted to the AARLCC Special Collections. This meaningful donation represents a significant contribution to our archives and offers new opportunities for research, learning, and public engagement.

“Alcee Hastings: A Legacy of Service in Florida and Beyond” celebrates Alcee Hastings (b. 1936, d. 2021), who was one of the most significant political figures from South Florida during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He was an alumnus of Florida A&M University College of Law (1963) where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated. While working as a lawyer, he also was a fierce activist in the Civil Rights movement.

In 1977, he became the first Black federal judge in Florida history, a position he held for 10 years. In the 1990s Hastings was part of the first wave of Black elected officials to serve in the US Congress after the 118-year gap following Reconstruction. He won re-election 14 times and became the longest-serving congressman representing Florida. He served Florida District 23 from 1993 to 2013 and Florida District 20 from 2013 to 2021. He was an outspoken advocate for Floridians and devoted to fighting for the rights of minorities, immigrants, children, and senior citizens. His congressional career was also marked by his deep involvement in international affairs.

The Alcee Hastings Collection that is preserved in the AARLCC Special Collections has thousands of photographs that document the fact that Hastings was a man of action and a man of the people. The photographs depict him with his constituents, working abroad, and collaborating with other politicians on shared goals regardless of party lines.

The archival materials speak for themselves in showing that Alcee Hastings had a deep commitment to understanding and respecting others and that he worked tirelessly to better the lives of everyone on local, national, and international levels. The African American Research Library and Cultural Center Special Collections is honored to preserve his legacy for future generations and to share it with the public.

This exhibit marks the first time that these materials will be freely available to the public. The exhibit is located on the first floor of the African American Research Library and Cultural Center. Join us to celebrate this important addition to our archives.

Additional programming in conjunction with the exhibit will be announced.

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