Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) has opened “The NAACP: A Legacy of Justice and Hope,” at the Cleveland History Center in University Circle. The exhibit explores the enduring legacy of the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP; it closes in August.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909 to combat discrimination against African Americans, and is the “nation’s oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization.”
The Cleveland Branch opened three years later in 1912 with 200 members. Within a decade its ranks had grown to include more than 1,600 people dedicated to fighting inequity in public buildings, employment practices, education, and housing in Northeast Ohio. “The NAACP: A Legacy of Justice and Hope” exhibit explores the work of the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP as a champion for social, political, educational, and economic justice for Black Americans, for 110 years.
Through a new collaboration with the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy of Cuyahoga Community College, students worked with WRHS African American History Archivist Patrice Hamiter, and WRHS Curator of Exhibits and Collections, Eric Rivet, on a research project to develop a new museum exhibit using material from WRHS’s recent acquisition of NAACP Cleveland Branch materials for its archives, as well as previously cataloged materials.
The WRHS Library and Archives has a significant collection of papers, periodicals, photographs and other materials that document the history of the NAACP Cleveland Branch, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cleveland Branch Records, Series II papers. This collection consists of copies of correspondence, branch bulletins, and other materials that pertain to the formation of the Cleveland Branch and the Cleveland College Chapter of the NAACP, as well as the social conditions of African Americans in Cleveland during the early 20th century. The objects in the exhibit were researched and the exhibit was designed by students in the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy of Tri-C.
“WRHS is proud to partner with the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP on an exhibit that highlights the tireless commitment of generations of Clevelanders to end racial discrimination in the United States,” says Kelly Falcone-Hall, WRHS President & CEO. “We thank the NAACP for entrusting WRHS with materials that document the work of your storied organization, and for allowing us to help you tell the story. And, to the exhibit team – Crystal Bryant, Esq., Executive Director, NAACP Cleveland Branch, the students of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy at Tri-C, WRHS’s African American History Archivist, Patrice Hamiter, and Eric Rivet, WRHS Curator of Collections and Exhibits, thank you for working together to bring this incredible history to the public.”
The NAACP remains committed to ending racial discrimination in the United States. Local branches, including the Cleveland NAACP, offer a number of civic engagement and education programs designed to make all Americans aware of the struggles faced by some Americans.
“We are grateful to the students and staff that brought this exhibit together. As an organization that has been around for more than 100 years, maintaining, preserving, and sharing our history is a vital part of respecting our past while giving us the energy to keep #FighthingForward. We hope that this exhibit stirs up old memories for some and sheds new light on our legacy for others,” says Danielle Sydnor, President, NAACP Cleveland Branch.
“This opportunity was vital to the mission of the Mandel Scholars Academy. Students were able to work with primary source documents, seeing firsthand the powerful and transformative legacy of the NAACP Cleveland Branch,” says Matt Laferty, Assistant Professor of English, Western Campus, Cuyahoga Community College. “The museum staff made the archive come to life and allowed the students to understand the stakes of presenting the archive of the NAACP to the public. The students watched history pour out of old documents and gained a deeper understanding of the work of the NAACP and its importance to all of us.”
