Finding aid for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cleveland Branch Records

History of the Cleveland, Ohio Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

The Cleveland, Ohio, Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was organized in 1912 and received its charter in 1914. Its objective, like that of the national organization, was to reactivate the spirit of the abolitionists in order to oppose racial inequalities in civil and political rights. Among the primary areas of concern were voting disenfranchisement, limitations on educational opportunity, and restrictions on employment, travel, and recreation. The early NAACP was highly centralized, with the national body asserting control over branches and membership to the extent that applications for membership required approval by the national Board of Directors. Since the eradication of a segregated society was the primary goal of the NAACP, it is not incongruous that the founders and early members were a multi-racial group, composed of liberal whites and members of the African American intelligentsia.

In Cleveland, however, Charles W. Chesnutt said that he could not think of a half-dozen white people who would take an active part in the movement. In conjunction with a series of mass meetings held for the purpose of spreading the movement, Chesnutt and his wife gave a reception in their home, inviting Cleveland's African American community leaders to discuss the possibility of organizing a local branch. Soon after, Charles F. Thwing, president of Western Reserve University, invited William E. Walling, National Board Chairman, to deliver a speech at the University - the first time the Association's program was formally presented to an American college audience.

Nevertheless, among the charter members of the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP, the names of white liberals and black intelligentsia are noticeably absent. Occupations of the original members included seven postal workers, one messenger, one realtor, a machinist, an engineer, a tailor, a barber, a janitor, a caterer, and a cook. Cleveland's African American newspaper, The Gazette, gave the local Branch only limited coverage, although in 1910, the editor, Harry C. Smith, had been elected to the National Executive Committee. In June of 1912, when Mary White Ovington, W. E. B. DuBois, and Charles Chesnutt spoke at Engineer's Hall, Smith criticized the choice of Chesnutt as a local spokesman; nevertheless, The Gazette elaborated on the need to organize a Cleveland Branch of the NAACP and Smith is still acknowledged as one of the founding members of the Branch.

Significant racial issues in Cleveland in 1912 included African American opposition to the establishment of segregated branches of the Young Men's Christian Organization (YMCA) and Young Women's Christian Organization (YWCA) in the city and to segregation at Luna amusement park. Moreover, between 1910 and 1920, Cleveland's African American community increased rapidly due to the recruitment of southern blacks to work in the city's war industries. As a result, problems of housing, overcrowded school, and racial discrimination intensified. One result was a series of legal actions initiated by the NAACP successfully challenging these trends.

The Ellen Sissle vs. Harvey's Inc. case was one of the earliest legal actions in which the Cleveland NAACP was involved. The Ohio Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision permitting retail stores in Ohio to exclude African American customers. Related activities included protests against discriminatory policies at Euclid Beach amusement park; negotiations with local hospitals leading to the admission of African American physicians to hospital facilities; and support for more adequate representation of African Americans among the administrative personnel of the Cleveland public school system. During the 1940s the Branch not only overcame the serious problems created by the Great Depression, but, inspired by a series of capable persons, experienced an unprecedented growth. In 1935 the Branch had sent two or three delegates to St. Louis, Missouri, national conference to represent the few hundred members who being carried on the rolls. In 1944 the Branch had a membership of 3,000 and L. Pearl Mitchell served as the first full time, salaried executive secretary in the history of the Branch. For the next five years this trend continued until the membership approached 20,000, establishing the Cleveland Branch as the largest in the nation for many years.

The Cleveland Branch of the NAACP has continuously pursued a variety of nonviolent tactics, including mass meetings to arouse and demonstrate public support; lectures by nationally prominent spokespeople; boycotts; picket lines; and negotiations with opposing parties. These tactics have served as adjuncts to more traditional legal actions and have been utilized to show support for an anti-poll tax bill, the Soldiers Federal Vote Bill, and the Federal Fair Employment Practices Commission. These tactics have also been used to protest such specific problems or incidents as the Amos 'n' Andy Show; the Trenton Six case of 1949; segregation in the United States Army in 1952; and the Groveland, Florida cases in 1957.

As the nation entered the 1960s, an increased interest in civil rights was apparent on all sides. In Cleveland, a large number of organizations were formed to further the struggle for civil rights. Likewise, the membership of the NAACP again rose, peaking at 15,000 in 1963. During these years, the NAACP, combined with other civil rights groups, led a school boycott involving 68,000 school children. By this means, pressure was brought on the Cleveland School Board to change many of its policies. In the case of Craggett vs. Cleveland Board of Education, which concerned the use of a half-day system in the schools, the plaintiff was represented successfully by lawyers of the NAACP. Today, the Cleveland NAACP is still firmly established in the city and is dedicated to the elimination of racism in American society.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Scope and Content

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cleveland Branch Records, 1922-1969 and undated, consist of administrative secretary reports, meeting minutes, office files, financial records, newspaper clippings, reports, brochures, pamphlets, broadsides, speeches, news releases, insurance policies, and photographs. Although the earliest records date from 1924, there is only scattered material before 1935 and the bulk of the records are dated after 1945, a reflection of the administrative development of the organization and the employment of the Branch's first paid executive secretary in 1944.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of Cleveland, Ohio, and its African American community in the twentieth century. Extensive records can be found relating to the Cleveland Board of Education, legal action undertaken by the Cleveland Branch, finances, membership and membership drives, national and state NAACP conventions, labor unions, and housing. Of special interest is the subject file (Series VI) which includes correspondence with numerous organizations, governmental agencies, and private businesses.

Among the prominent citizens of Cleveland, Ohio, represented in this collection are Gerard Anderson, Nathan K. Christopher, Ralph Findley, Clayborne George, Zelma Watson George, Chester Gillespie, Charles Lucas, Crosbey C. Ramey, Carl Stokes, Louis Stokes, Herman Sweat, and Harold B. Williams. Of national prominence are Margarite Belafonte, Lucille Black, Gloster B. Current, and Roy Wilkins.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 4475 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cleveland Branch Records, Series II.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3520 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cleveland Branch Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gifts of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cleveland Branch, in 1969, 1970, and 1971.

Processing Information

Processed by Judith R. Arnold in 1972.

Other Finding Aid

An index to the the groups represented in Series VI: Subject Files is available at the Reference Desk of the WRHS Research Library.

Detailed Description of The Collection