In a heartfelt post on social media, James Moore shared a story about his wife’s aunt, Jeanette Fino, a fearless woman who fought against racial segregation in Baltimore.
James Moore took to his Facebook to write about his wife, Rachel Hertzman Moore’s aunt, Jeanette Fino, a woman who stood up to racism in Baltimore back in the 1940s.
In 1948, she was arrested for trying to play tennis with a Black man at Druid Hill Park. At the time, Black and White people weren’t allowed to share public spaces like parks.
However, brave Jeanette didn’t back down, but she kept fighting for fairness, and she got arrested several times for standing up for what was right.
Because of this, today, Jeanette’s name is on a plaque in Baltimore to honor her courage.
Reportedly, that summer, Jeanette joined a group called the Young Progressives of Maryland. The group was made up of both Black and White people who wanted to end segregation, especially on the park’s clay tennis courts.
At the time, only White people could play there in the mornings, and Black people weren’t allowed at all. Hence, the group planned a mixed-race tennis game to challenge the rules.
On July 11, 1948, Jeanette and three other women, two Black, one White, walked onto the courts together. However, before they could even hit a ball, park police showed up and arrested them.
The group wrote a polite letter to the city saying they planned to play tennis together and that no rule actually banned Black and White people from sharing the courts.
Likewise, they also made bold flyers with messages like “End segregation! Stand up for your rights!” to raise awareness and garner support for their cause.
Hundreds of people came out to support Jeanette and her friends, but the police still arrested 22 of them, including Jeanette. Likewise, seven were found guilty of things like “disturbing the peace.”
Their protest led to a court case called Boyer v. Garrett, one of the first in Maryland, where Black and White folks worked together to fight segregation.
They didn’t win, but what they did helped push things forward. In 1955, after a big decision by the Supreme Court, Baltimore finally opened its parks to everyone.
Above all, Jeanette didn’t stop there. She kept fighting for people who were mistreated, not just Black people, but also gay people and others who were left out.
Her strength and courage inspired her family, especially her niece Rachel, who now works to protect children from abuse. Rachel’s husband, James, says that same fire lives in her.
Later, Jeanette passed away on September 17, 2001, due to lung disease at the Ruxton Health and Rehabilitation Center in Baltimore at the age of 79 years old.
