Moses White was a successful businessman, civil rights leader and community advocate for underprivileged communities in Tampa, Florida.
Born in 1915 in Alapaha, Georgia, Moses was born to Tom White and Mary Shepard White. He was the seventh of 11 children.
With only a third-grade education, Moses grew into a successful business man. Moses had businesses on Central Avenue and Main Street – the Palm Dinette (Tampa’s first sit-down restaurant for people of color), a rooming house, the Deluxe Cozy Corner and Club Rayals. Known for its finger-licking BBQ ribs, a unique fried chicken sandwich and yellow rice, the Deluxe Cozy Corner offered three hotdogs for 25 cents in its heyday and served the local community and our military from MacDill Air Force Base.
A famed civil rights leader, Moses had a calming nature that led to an important role in the 1967 Tampa race riots – feeding the first responders and rioters, while calling for peace and facilitating conversations.
Moses knew that the success of his community required engagement and advocacy that he could provide. He worked closely with government leaders to bring a Veteran’s Administration Hospital for Tampa’s veterans so that they wouldn’t have to travel to St. Petersburg for treatment. He built a sense of community through events such as Easter egg hunts, Thanksgiving turkey giveaways and Christmas food baskets.
Moses was honored by the Bay Area National Conference of Christians and Jews Brotherhood Awards Dinner in the 1970s for his tireless work in bringing communities together. Following his death, parts of Main Street were renamed Moses White Boulevard in 2001 and an affordable housing development was named in his honor in 2011 – the Moses White Estates.
Moses White worked to ensure a thriving community among Tampa’s underprivileged so that they could live with equality and dignity up until his death in 1984