TAMPA, Fla. — Four men are being honored for blazing a trail against discrimination in the workplace over 50 years ago. 

What You Need To Know

  • Tampa police to put up monument honoring the Fearless Four

  • Four former Black officers filed a discrimination complaint against the department in the '70s

  • The four officers said they were not given the same opportunities as white officers

  • Clarence Nathan, Rufus Lewis, Frank Gray, and James Dukes make up the "Fearless Four" 

Clarence Nathan, Rufus Lewis, Frank Gray, and James Dukes filed a discrimination complaint with the United States Equal Opportunity Commission against the City of Tampa Police Department. This earned them the name “Fearless Four” in the ’70s. 

“The city of Tampa and the police department, to avoid going to court, reached a conciliation agreement with the department of equal opportunity, and by that, it opened the doors for other minorities and those who came behind us,” said Gray, Retired Corporal. 

The Fearless Four said that before the lawsuit, they were not given opportunities to move up within the department and also had very little support when it came to patrolling certain neighborhoods. 

“We weren’t even allowed to talk to white people, let alone arrest them,” Lewis said. “As far as moving up in the department, we were given all types of excuses and reasons why we couldn’t serve in certain capacities. I remember the first time we got a helicopter. I requested to ride in the helicopter, they said I was too tall.”

Excuses like these kept many Black officers out of positions of power within the Tampa Police Department in the ’60s and the ’70s. 

“We didn’t know we would make a change that big at the time,” explained Clarence Nathan. “Now, we want to see more officers move up and open that door for others to come in behind them. Becoming a member of the chief staff or becoming a major that’s where policies are made and that’s where you need to be at to affect the change.” 

The Fearless Four have been given the rare opportunity to now "smell their flowers" while they’re still alive. The mayor, along with the Tampa Police Department, will honor the Fearless Four with a monument.

“We never envisioned something of that magnitude and we were just glad that it happened,” said Nathan. 

On Saturday, the historical monument will be placed on display on the first floor of the Tampa Police Department.​