National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Oberlin Unit 3196, Records

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909, and is the oldest existing civil rights group in America. The Oberlin branch of the NAACP was chartered in January of 1917. The primary concern of the Oberlin branch in the early years was the segregation of the United States Army in World War I. The branch condemned a policy that prevented Black students from enrolling in the Student Army Training Corp. An article in the Oberlin News endorsed by the local NAACP in 1918 questioned whether the “vision of a world democracy” included African Americans.

The Oberlin branch welcomed delegates of the tenth National NAACP convention to Oberlin in late June of 1919; W.E.B. Dubois and James Weldon Johnson were among the speakers. Dubois addressed a large audience in Finney Chapel on the importance of education for the Black community. Prior to his remarks, Professor G.F. Wright spoke on Oberlin’s part in the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue of 1858 and the Civil War.

In 1944, the Oberlin branch was involved in an attempt to desegregate Oberlin’s barbershops. The branch was issued a new charter in December 1948.  In the early 1960s, the national sit-in protests in the south spurred the Oberlin branch and the Oberlin College student chapter of the NAACP to become involved in the national civil rights movement. The Oberlin student chapter was very active in the spring and fall of 1960. On March 20, 1960, forty-seven college students from Oberlin took part in a non-violent demonstration sponsored by the Cleveland unit of the NAACP. The campus chapter also sent delegates to the Ohio State NAACP convention and to the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee in Atlanta, and discussed the issue of Oberln’s housing discrimination. The NAACP Oberlin branch for its part organized the boycott of local businesses, including the Northern Ohio Telephone Company, that discriminated against black citizens.

In the 1980s, the Oberlin branch raised funds for the installation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park and monument in Oberlin, and for a monument dedicated in 1990 to memorialize the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, also located in the park. In the 2000s the branch supported education and community service through scholarships and fundraising, and continues to hold an annual Freedom Fund Banquet open to community members. This event includes a speaker, often from the state or regional government, to address the group on current civil rights issues.

Recently the group initiated a scholarship program for summer camp attendance, funded by Celebrations for Music, a Black History Month event that celebrates local Black musicians. The chapter also awards two book scholarships to graduating seniors at Oberlin High School to defray textbook costs. A percentage of the monies raised during these events is sent to the national organization to support their projects, and a larger portion remains in the community.  Significantly, the NAACP provides legal assistance for members who wish to file a civil rights complaint. The Oberlin branch, designated Oberlin Unit 3196 by the national organization, holds monthly meetings open to the public, as specified by NAACP guidelines.

Sources Consulted

Condensed from Erin Durham and Nora Gordon, “The Oberlin Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: A Brief History,” unpublished student paper, Fall 2006, in Student Life: Student Papers, RG 19/5.