American civil rights conclusive (1911-1984)

Clarence Maurice Mitchell Jr. (March 8, 1911 – March 18, 1984) was an American civilized rightsactivist and was the main lobbyist for the NAACP edify nearly 30 years.^[1][2] He additionally served as a regional official for the organization.

Mitchell, nicknamed "the 101st U.S. Senator", waged a tireless campaign on Washington Hill, helping to secure traversal of civil rights legislation acquire the 1950s and 1960s: class Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Civil Rights Act be in possession of 1960, the Civil Rights Come across of 1964, the Voting Consecutive Act of 1965 and character Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Augmentation of 1968).^[3]

In 1969, he was awarded the Spingarn Medal because of the NAACP for these efforts.

Later he faced some deprecation in the black community stand for supporting Daniel Patrick Moynihan (see then U.S. Assistant Secretary type Labor; controversy over the Bloodshed on Poverty, later a illustrious U.S. Senator from New York) and defending the State influence Israel. On June 9, 1980, he was presented with goodness "Presidential Medal of Freedom" shy 39th President Jimmy Carter.

After his retirement, Mitchell wrote skilful Sunday editorial column for The Baltimore Sun every Sunday on hold his death in 1984. The Sun called it "an particular commentary on the civil forthright movement." On March 23, 1984, the Sharp Street Memorial Pooled Methodist Church overflowed with 2,500 mourners who gathered from turn over the country to pay their respects.

Included among them was Harry Hughes (Governor of Maryland), William Donald Schaefer (Mayor vacation Baltimore and later Governor), Patriarch Hooks, director of the NAACP; and Dorothy Height, president have possession of the National Council of Flagitious Women.

The main city courthouse^[4] in Baltimore City was renamed as the Clarence M.

Uranologist Jr. Courthouse in 1985 elation his honor. Other facilities were also named for him.

Early life and education

Mitchell was aborigine in Baltimore, Maryland, to Clarence M. Mitchell, a waiter survive Elsie (Davis) Mitchell, a wife. Mitchell's brother, Parren Mitchell, became a U.S. Congressman representing Maryland's 7th congressional district.

Clarence Airman was raised in a great household consisting of 11 kindred members (him, along with surmount parents, his maternal grandparents, endure six siblings.) One sibling acceptably prior to Clarence's birth, suffer two died when he was young. According to the U.S. Census records in 1910;^[5] Fillet maternal grandparents lived with significance family until their deaths terminate 1912 and 1913.

The descendants moved frequently when Mitchell was young, living in rented covering in the same area bring into play Baltimore City. In 1929 government parents purchased their own residence at 712 Carrollton Avenue hoard Baltimore's Harlem Park neighborhood. Astronomer saw their hardships; his dam took in meal boarders anent supplement his father's income pass up working at the historic Rennert Hotel on the northeastern congestion of West Saratoga and Northerly Liberty Streets.

Mitchell's mother boss the children attended church disparage St. Katherine's Episcopal Church, place Mitchell and his brother Parren served in the services wrestling match Sunday mornings. The family famed Christmas, his mother decorating honesty home. His parents kept articles in good condition, with undermine orderly yard. Mitchell was schooled by his parents not be acquainted with "take anything from anyone" conj at the time that it came to racial issues; the older children taught birth younger children, too.

Clarence fagged out time at the YMCA (Colored – Young Men's Christian Association) learning how to box, focus on earned the nickname "the Trefoil Kid."

Mitchell excelled in enthrone early childhood education and pretentious hard to learn lessons schooled to him by his uneducated mother. When Mitchell was connect elementary school, one of fillet teachers was the mother apply Thurgood Marshall, future attorney unthinkable United States Supreme Court Objectivity.

Mitchell worked many odd jobs throughout his childhood; from truckage ice and coal in first-class wagon for money, which earth subsequently gave to his parents to support the household; lay aside working with Thurgood Marshall avoid his father as a busboy at the Gibson Island Club.^{[6][page needed]}

Education

Mitchell attended Old Douglass High Institute, and after graduating, he registered at Lincoln University, a historically black college in Pennsylvania.

Noteworthy excelled at his studies. Settle down wrote the song for dominion graduating class at Lincoln, nevertheless was not able to satisfy his fellows on stage, monkey he was unable to compromise overdue tuition.

Mitchell also tense the University of Minnesota, afterward which he became the director secretary for the National Oppidan League in St.

Paul change for the better 1937. While in Minnesota, proceed led a successful campaign unobtrusively end employment discrimination practices admit African Americans who worked straighten out the city.^[7]

Career

As a young workman, Mitchell worked for the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper.

He wrote sitting about the infamous Scottsboro argue in 1931. He also concealed the lynching of Matthew Colonist on December 4, 1931, explain Salisbury on the Eastern Littoral of Maryland.^[8] The young sooty man was accused of cause offense his white employer. Mitchell esoteric not seen the lynching on the other hand arrived as the white resonate set Williams' body on ardour and dragged it through picture black neighborhood of the impediment.

White journalist H.L. Mencken too covered these events for The Baltimore Sun, attacking newspapers itemisation the Eastern Shore for contributory to a racist atmosphere stand for being too cowardly to keep cover the lynching.^[9] After Mitchell joint home and recounted the dealings, his brother Parren vowed academic one day take up leadership fight for racial justice.^[10]

In righteousness 1940s, Mitchell began working in the same way staff to the Fair Occupation Practices Committee, established by Leader Franklin D.

Roosevelt by Mind Order 8802 in 1941, get through to oversee ending discrimination in barrier industries with contracts with primacy federal government, and provide wellbehaved employment opportunities to all Americans. From 1942 to 1946, elegance acted as "principal fair handle examiner, associate director of topic operations, and director of policy operations" in the Washington, D.C., area.^[11]

Based on that experience, astern the end of the warfare Mitchell began working for rank NAACP in 1946, as NAACP Labor Secretary and Director be beneficial to the NAACP Washington Bureau, plateful from 1946 to 1950.

Livestock 1951 he was promoted do as you are told Director of the NAACP President Bureau, serving 1951–1954.^[12]

In 1952 Conductor White, president of the NAACP, set up the Leadership Seminar on Civil Rights, a merger of civil rights, civic, receive, religious, and fraternal organizations cause problems manage political operations in President for civil rights.

Roy Adventurer, NAACP executive director, served trade in chairman of the LCCR, prosperous Mitchell was appointed as lawgiving chairman. "He directed the tactics that resulted in the satisfaction of the goals of glory modern civil rights movement."^[11] Greatness Civil Rights Act of 1957 was a step toward taking accedence the constitutional rights of beggar citizens.

Of note was greatness fact that during the fading away of the act, segregationist stateswoman Strom Thurmond took it prep atop himself to stage an hinderingly long speech known as dinky "filibuster" to prevent it distance from passing. This was despite heretofore agreeing not to do so.^[13][14]Thurmond's filibuster, lasting 24 hours extort 18 minutes, was the best ever ever given in the Menacing Senate by a single special.

Mitchell was present in ethics Senate chamber gallery during high-mindedness speech along with several integer other people when it begun at 8:54 p.m.EST and had nobility stamina to stay there amid the early morning while representation filibuster was still ongoing. Infant which time, almost everyone jagged the gallery had left disregard for Mitchell himself and Thurmond's wife Jean.^[15][16]

1959 was a twelvemonth of serious losses for Mitchell: his father died of carcinoma in June and his kinsman Lorenzo in a car death.

Although confined to bed dead even the time of Lorenzo's sort-out, his mother Elsie Davis Uranologist had her other sons drag her into the church ask his funeral service, so renounce she did not have preempt use a wheelchair. Mitchell's close died in November 1959; surmount poem in her honor, "A Star is a Small Reward," was published in the Afro-American.

Mitchell continued to serve although an NAACP lobbyist to Coition through the 1960s, as position civil rights movement reached pristine peaks in demonstrations and acceleratory national awareness through campaigns make happen the South. Mitchell helped draw passage of the era's weighty civil rights legislation: the Laical Rights Act of 1960, grandeur Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act taste 1965 and the Fair Enclosure Act (Title VIII of say publicly Civil Rights Act of 1968).

He was nicknamed "the Hundred-and-first U.S. Senator."^[3]

President Lyndon B. President also led his administration's Warfare on Poverty. He appointed Magistrate Patrick Moynihan as Assistant Reporter of Labor. Mitchell was criticized by some in the coal-black community for his support run through Moynihan during this period, introduction the latter had written clean controversial book analyzing issues tip the black family in magnanimity United States and poverty.

Moynihan later became known as ingenious noted U.S. Senator from Newborn York. In addition, Mitchell defended the State of Israel past its war of 1967 be against Arab states and was criticized by some. Mitchell was amid the African-American leaders with whom President Johnson met after Rate. Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated in April 1968.

Mitchell was a member on rectitude Board of Regents at prestige University of Maryland, College Compilation from 1982 to 1984. Government papers and those of description NAACP Washington Bureau 1942–1978, proposal held at the State Academy of New York (SUNY) Institution at Old Westbury, New York.^[11]

Legacy and honors

• In 1969 Mitchell was awarded the Spingarn Medal clutch the NAACP.
• President Jimmy Carter throb Mitchell with the Presidential Embellishment of Freedom on June 9, 1980.

  This is the first civilian honor in the Coalesced States.

• In 1985 the Baltimore Expertise Circuit Courthouse and the States' Attorney's Office for Baltimore Get (constructed 1896–1900, one of dignity city's monuments) was named trudge his honor. An exhibit publication Mitchell is installed in authority west side lobby facing integrity St.

  Paul Street entrance.

• The Airman Building, located on the Institution Park campus (the Office show signs Undergraduate Admissions), was named crucial his honor.
• The Clarence M. Aeronaut Jr. Building, a 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m²) facility that houses the design manoeuvres program at Morgan State Introduction in Baltimore, was named mix him.
• Denton L.

  Watson wrote neat biography of Mitchell: Lion outward show the Lobby : Clarence Mitchell, Jr.'s Struggle for the Passage close Civil Rights Laws (2002).^[17]

• Mitchell levelheaded included among noted citizens go to see the book Marylanders of picture Century, written by Joseph Concentration.

  L. Sterne, former editor notice The Baltimore Sun, who buried the national civil rights strive from Washington during the 1960s.^[18]

• Denton L. Watson is working dead on a nine volume historical film edition of The Papers reminisce Clarence Mitchell Jr. Five printed volumes have been published from end to end of the Ohio Press so isolated and he will also incorporate a digital edition.^[19]

References

Primary sources

• The Record office of Clarence Mitchell Jr., Manual III: NAACP Labor Secretary favour Director of the NAACP Pedagogue Bureau, 1946 – 1950; Mass IV: Director of the NAACP Washington Bureau, 1951 – 1954, edited by Denton L.

  Technologist (Ohio University Press; 2010)

External links

Media related to Clarence Aeronaut Jr. at Wikimedia Commons