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Ever since the NAACP announced it was holding the annual state meeting in High Point this month , a lot of questions have been circulating regarding the High Point Chapter — mainly when it was created.

After hearing some of the answers, I decided to try to set the record straight.

In my book “Our Roots, Our Branches, Our Fruit, High Point’s Black History, 1859–1960,” I mention many excerpts taken from the High Point Enterprise regarding the local NAACP chapter, dating back to its creation in 1933.

Here are some of those excerpts:

June 1931

“James Weldon Johnson, secretary of the NAACP, author and lecturer, delivered the commencement address at William Penn High School.”

Johnson’s responsibility as field secretary was to help increase the number of NAACP branches and members. This author thinks that Johnson’s visit to High Point started the movement for a local chapter.

May 1933

“A large crowd of colored citizens attended an organizational meeting of the NAACP at St. Mark Methodist Church on E. Washington Street. Fifty-five men and women became charter members. Elected officers were Dr. G.E. Nightengale, president; Louis R. Haizlip, vice president; William M. Saunders, second vice president; Dr. C.T. Whitten, secretary; Mrs. J.J. Wilson, assistant secretary; Dr. A.M. Greenwood, treasurer. Executive Committee members were: Dr. Jerome J. Wilson; Delaware N. Moore; and J.W. Ross.”

This means those people signed a charter authorizing them as original members at an organizational meeting. Keeping up with the original charter later became the responsibility of those who followed this group.

If, for some reason, the charter is missing, it is not the fault of those 55 pioneers.

May 18, 1933

“Walter White, national secretary of the NAACP, addressed the colored citizens at St. Mark Methodist Church on East Washington Street to promote the establishment of a High Point chapter of the organization.”

I believe White was at the organizational meeting at St. Mark, which was the reason for the large crowd in attendance.

February 1934

“The local chapter of the NAACP participated in the organization’s national penny rally in celebration of their 25th anniversary. The organization was asking every Negro in the nation to give one penny to help further the work done by the organization.

“The High Point chapter placed boxes in the churches, stores and schools, and workers went door-to-door to collect funds. On Feb. 20, a mass rally was held at the First Baptist Church on East Washington Street at which time the results of the drive were announced.”

If this was not a legitimate chapter of the NAACP, why was this local group allowed to raise money under the guise of the organization?

March 15, 1934

“Mary White Ovington, member of the NAACP board of directors and acting treasurer, delivered an address to the local High Point NAACP Chapter at St. Mark Methodist Church on East Washington Street. She was one of the original founders of the national NAACP.”

Once again, why would a board member of the NAACP come to High Point and address a nonexisting chapter? Why was it referred to as a local chapter if it wasn’t? Did the reporter take it upon himself to use the word chapter when it wasn’t?

Surely a board member would have corrected this wording on the spot or before another executive visited High Point.

April 1935

“Members of the High Point Branch of the NAACP participated in a nationwide drive of support by circulating a petition asking Congress to pass the Costigan-Wagner Anti-Lynching Bill.”

Would the national NAACP ask a non chartered chapter to represent them in this most important matter? I don’t think so!
November 1937

“Walter White, national secretary of the NAACP, spoke at William Penn High School on the subject of 'Educational Opportunities for Negroes.’”

High Point must have had an active chapter to have the national secretary visit twice in four years.

December 1938

“The local branch of the NAACP had been inactive for a few years. They brought in Dean William Pickens, field secretary and director of branches of the NAACP to help reorganize the local branch. Pickens spoke at a mass meeting at St. Mark Methodist Church on East Washington Street, Dec. 6, 1938.”

This information is confusing because it states that the chapter was inactive for a few years.

If this is true, we must assume that White’s mission in November was to get the chapter going again.

January 1944

“NAACP officers were: Rev. William Elliott — president; Ellis Cornelius — vice president; J.C. Crawford — second vice president; Carrous W. Robinson — third vice president; Theodore Waller — recording secretary; Mary Blackburn — assistant secretary; Alice Hammonds — corresponding secretary.”

Since the research for my book was not based on the history of the NAACP, I cannot account for the six-year gap between 1938 and 1944. I don’t know if there was a chapter during those years.

October 1952

“The ninth annual convention of the North Carolina NAACP was held in High Point. “

According to a story in the Enterprise dated Oct. 18, 1952, Clarence Mitchell, director of the Washington Bureau of the NAACP addressed a mass meeting at the ninth annual convention of the North Carolina NAACP in High Point.

I think this clears up any rumors this year’s convention, Oct. 13-15, is the first state convention in our city.

This also means there were only eight other state NAACP conventions before the one in 1952.

According to my research, there was a chapter or a branch in High Point as far back as 1933.

However, after talking with folks such as Al Campbell, there seemed to have been confusion regarding the definition of a chartered chapter.

As president of the local chapter about 1978, Campbell recalls the members wanting to do a project, only to be told by the national chapter they could not because they weren’t a chartered chapter.
They were told that to be a charter chapter you had to have at least 100 chartered members on the books, and they didn’t.

Charles Powell led the charge and recruited 101 new members. As a result of Powell’s efforts, the High Point Chapter was able to send a delegation to the national meeting held in Miami.

When there isn’t a recorded history of an organization on file, things sometimes get left out and facts omitted.

We need to give our ancestors proper credit for what they did and accomplished in our early history. In this case, the facts indicate that our local NAACP chapter was established and chartered in 1933, and the facts support that claim 99.9 percent.

Glenn Chavis researches and writes about High Point’s black history. Contact him at Storytime40@aol.com