NAACP Albemarle-Charlottesville Branch

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The Albemarle-Charlottesville Branch of the NAACP was formed from the merger of the Charlottesville Branch NAACP and the Albemarle County Branch NAACP on July 12, 2001.[1]

"The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination."[1]

Branch History

Charlottesville

"Reverend Benjamin F. Bunn organized the Charlottesville Chapter of the NAACP in 1947. The Charlottesville Chapter of the NAACP was a member and strong supporter of the Virginia State Conference. Throughout its years of service, the chapter received many National and State NAACP honors and awards. The Charlottesville Branch also played an integral part in Virginia's Massive Resistance struggle."[1]

Albemarle County

"In the early 1950's Lewis Carter, a black World War II Veteran was hit and killed by a white man in a speeding car on a road in Western Albemarle County. The citizens of Crozet felt that the local courts and law enforcement officials did not treat the matter seriously enough. A group of black people met, including Fields Wood, Marvin Washington, Marion Wood and Virgil Wood (then a student at Virginia Union University). Members of several churches in the Yancey Mills, Crozet and Greenwood communities attended also."

"As a result of this meeting, the decision was made to contact Oliver Hill and Spotswood Robinson of the Richmond Law Firm, Hill & Robinson. The family of Lewis Carter eventually won a settlement of the case. From this group, the Albemarle County Branch Chapter of the NAACP was formed. A charter was obtained on December 14, 1953, making this branch one of the oldest in the state of Virginia."[1]

Leadership

The president of the organization is Janette Martin who succeeded M. Rick Turner at the end of 2016. [2]

Desegregation

The NAACP Albemarle-Charlottesville Branch was instrumental in forcing the Charlottesville school system into complying with the law of the land that all educational facilities should be open to all children regardless. They sued to desegregate Johnson Elementary School, which happened in 1962. [3]


External Links