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About

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History

Our work and our activists carrying the civil rights torch forward are our legacy. Since our founding in 1909, we have been, and continue to be, on the front lines of the fight for civil rights and social justice.

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About thE rOCK hiLL bRANCH nAACP

The Rock Hill Branch NAACP was chartered on March 13, 1944. Dr. W. R. Laney, a local dentist, became the first president. The membership was passionate about the civil rights activities that were taking place in the 1940’s and was involved in working to influence Congress to pass an anti-lynch bill.

The Rock Hill Branch participated in the effort by distributing and wearing anti-lynch pins. During this period, the branch became the second largest branch in the state with five hundred members.

Dr. Laney courageously led a group of Negroes to the registration board at the Courthouse in York to register for the first time after a Federal Judge ruled that the private ‘Lily White’ primary which existed to prohibit the Negroes from voting was unconstitutional.

The Branch was instrumental in the adoption of single member districts for the City of Rock Hill. Clara Feely Gray became the second female president and the first female elected to the office. In March 1990 the branch received the 38 th Annual Southeast Region NAACP Leadership Award for the “Back To School/Stay in School Program”. More activities were sponsored by the branch for the benefit of the youth. During the 2008 state convention the branch received the state education award and became the fourth branch in the state to initiate an ACT-SO Program under the tenure of President Melvin Poole. Ms. Susie B. Hinton served as President from 2014-2015. During her tenure, she established committees and held a retreat to focus each group on their role. In addition, she required committees to submit reports electronically to move away from paper reports. She also initiated a social media committee to move the Branch into the electronic era. Under Ms. Hinton’s leadership the first Founder’s Day event was coordinated. A strong partnership was developed with the Winthrop University College Chapter of NAACP. The Clinton College NAACP Chapter was reactivated, the Rock Hill Branch Youth Council was reestablished and an operating budget was developed.

Dr. Jacques Days served as president from 2015-2016, serving out Susie Hinton's term. Under Dr. Day's leadership, the branch began moving into the 21st Century with the creation of a FaceBook page and Twitter account. The group also began teleconferencing their Executive Committee meetings. Under his leadership, the demonstration opposing the gathering of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans at York Tech was organized and carried out. Dr, Days stated, "The emblem of the SCV, which we know as the flag of the confederacy is an icon that denotes fear and antagonist connotations for many residents in York County South Carolina and we dare say the vast majority of the United States. The flag is a decisive symbol of unpleasant times in our history; the times of lynching, racial profiling, inequality and oppression of one group upon another." Collaborative culminating in the selection of Judge Chisa Putman and Judge Michael Scurlock as York County Magistrates. Discussions involving NAACP leaders, elected officials, attorneys, ministry leaders and other community leaders resulted in a fairer search for magistrates.

History of NAACP

In 1908, a deadly race riot rocked the city of Springfield, Illinois, eruptions of anti-black violence – particularly lynching – were horrifically commonplace, but the Springfield riot was the final tipping point that led to the creation of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). Appalled at this rampant violence, a group of white liberals that included Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard (both the

descendants of famous abolitionists), William English Walling and Dr. Henry Moscowitz issued a call for a meeting to discuss racial justice. Some 60 people, seven of whom were African American (including W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell), signed the call, which was released on the centennial of Lincoln's birth.

On February 12, 1909, the nation’s oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization was born. Echoing the focus of Du Bois; Niagara Movement for civil rights, which began in 1905,NAACP aimed to secure for all people the rights guaranteed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution, which promised an end to slavery, provide equal protection of the law, and the right for all men to vote, respectively. Accordingly, the NAACP's mission is to ensure the political, educational, equality of minority group citizens of States and eliminate race prejudice. The NAACP works to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes.

The real story of the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization lies in the hearts and minds of all those who refused to stand idly while race prejudice tarnished our nation. It was the talent and tenacity of NAACP members that saved lives and laid the foundation upon which our fight for racial justice and equity is built.

While much of NAACP history is chronicled in books, articles, pamphlets, and magazines, the true movement lies in the faces of the multiracial, multigenerational army of ordinary people who united to awaken the consciousness of a people and a nation. With such a powerful membership base, all 2,200 chapters of the Association continue to persevere. Together, we will remain vigilant in our mission until the promise of America is made real for all.