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Scholarship Winners 2023-2024 Ki'Asia Benjamin Cleveland Institue of Art Nolan Miller Miami University 2022-2023 Safaria Brown Kent State University Aisha Nelson-Ray OSU-ATI Christopher Vann The College of Wooster 2021-2022 Tamara Turner The College of Wooster

Martin Luther King Gallery MLK-2026 MLK-2025 MLK-2024 MLK-2023 2022 Virtual Commemoration of MLK

Allison Allison Oral History

#3208 MLK 2023 Gallery

2026 Calendar General Assembly Meeting: August 11th-5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. August Ohio conference NAACP September General Assembly Meeting: Sept. 8th-5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. General Assembly Meeting: Oct. 13th-5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. Wooster October November General Assembly Meeting: Nov. 10th-5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. General Assembly Meeting: Dec 8th-5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. December January 2026 General Assembly Meeting: January-12 at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. MLK Celebration: Details Coming Soon MLK Essay Prompts MLK Celebration Details February General Assembly Meeting: Feb 8 th -5p Community Action Wayne/Medina (905 Pittsburgh Ave.) Charles Follis Day- February 3rd Follis Facts House Bill-Feb 3-C.Follis National High School Football Hall of Fame’s Induction ceremony: July 11 - Brooke Park (Canton,OH) March General Assembly Meeting: March 9th -5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. General Assembly Meeting: April 13th-5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. April May General Assembly Meeting: May 11th -5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. General Assembly Meeting: June 9th-5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. June July NATIONAL NAACP CONVENTION 2026 General Assembly Meeting: July 14th-5p at Community Action Wayne/Medina 905 Pittsburgh Ave. July 9-16 Chicago, IL

Executive Team President Juanita Greene First Vice President Paul Luster Second Vice President Cheryl A. Goff Third Vice President Lawrence Walker Secretary Beverly Bixby Treasurer -------- Chairpersons Mady Noble Rev. Kevan Franklin Barb Friedhoff Scott Gregory Committees Membership Criminal Justice Education Health Committee MLK DAY Environment Become a Member Join a Committee Legal Redress

2026 Freedom Fund We the People working Together! $25.73 raised Fundraising goal: $10,000 $10,000 1 donation 1% Amount $ 0/100 Comment (optional) Donate I'd like to add $0 to cover transaction fees.

Essay Winners 2024 Grades 1-3 Topic: Ruby Bridges, the first black child to attend an all white school in New Orleans, LA, 1960. First Place Ryker Cook Cornerstone Elementary Grade 3, Mrs. Rubino Second Place Aayu Goudar Kean Elementary Grade 3, Mrs. Ratliff Third Place Liberty Lambert Parkview Elementar y Grade 3, Miss Rutt Grades 4-6 Topic: Linda Brown and the 1954 “Brown v. Board of Education” U.S. Supreme Court ruling desegregating schools. First Place Lucas Pindell Edgewood Middle School Grade 6, Mrs. Fenton Second Place Nadiya Erb Orrville Middle School Grade 5, Mrs. Booker Third Place Lauren Kubb Parkview Elementary Grade 4, Mrs. Corneliu s Grades 7-9 Topic: The 1954 “Brown v. Board of Education” U.S. Supreme Court decision and the role of Thurgood Marshall. First Place Maximilian Seifried St. Mary School Grade 7, Laura Marvin Second Place Karter Wayt Orrville Middle School Grade 8, Mrs. Schelcher Third Place Kai Marullo St. Mary School Grade 7, Mrs. Marvin Grades 10-12 Topic: The 1954 “Brown v. Board of Education” U.S. Supreme Court decision and the slow pace of integration. First Place Rhys Florence-Smith Wooster High School Grade 11, Mr. Klein Second Place Kaleb Wayt Orrville High School Grade 11, Dr. Dziczkowski Third Place Olivia Brown Waynedale High School Grade 11, Dr. Dziczkowski

Freedom Fund Dinner Gallery Freedom Fund 2024 Gallery Freedom Fund Dinner 2023

Wooster/Orrville Digital History Project How do you build racial justice in a small Midwestern community over time? Explore Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. The NAACP reaches across the nation, creates history, and advocates for Civil Rights in rural and urban areas. The history of the Wooster/Orrville NAACP reveals how ordinary people sustained civil rights activism across generations. Lesser known local chapters made equally important strides in the fight for racial equality, notably in the rural areas of the Midwest. Many are familiar with the work the NAACP has done on a national level. One major victory for the NAACP was the Brown v. Board lawsuit, which ordered desegregation of schools. When considering history in areas such as Wooster and Orrville, Black stories are often dismissed because they exist in predominantly white communities. This exhibition examines the question: How do you build racial justice in a small Midwestern community over time? Exploring generational and individual impact and ties to the national movement provides insight into the work of the NAACP at the national and local level. Telling the stories of those involved in the Wooster/Orrville NAACP tells us what it was and is like to create racial justice for the Black community in a rural space. Introduction written by Celeste Probart. Edited by Jordan Biro Walters, PhD and Elora Agsten, MSLIS. NAACP Oral Histories Menu Close Home Shop Search Results Committees Legal Redress Committee Membership Committee MLK Committee Education Committee Criminal Justice Committee Health Committee Enviromental Committee Wooster/Orrville Youth Council Silver Life Members Events MLK Celebration Juneteenth Events Freedom Fund Dinner 2025 Member Appreciation Event Gallery Juneteenth Gallery Wooster Square Gallery Freedom Fund Gallery Freedom Fund Presentation MLK Gallery Digital Project Choose an oral history below to learn about the everyday experiences of Black Wooster residents as remembered by the people who lived them. Yvonne Williams Lydia Thompson James Harris Lawrence Walker Allison Allison More to come Explore by Decade Our history exhibit explores the Wooster/Orrville NAACP throughout the twentieth century. Explore by decade below: 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 1960s The 1960s saw national expansion of the NAACP to a network of grassroots organizations. The College of Wooster and The Wooster/Orrville NAACP branches were founded in 1963 and 1965. Explore the 1960s 1970s With the growth of education programs and affirmative action policies, the 1970s built upon the expansion of the 1960s. Explore the 1970s 1980s The 1980s witnessed progress in representation across community life, education, politics, and the economy. Explore the 1980s 1990s The 1990s was both a time of national turbulence and local progress. The Wooster/Orrville pushed back on redlining and employment discrimination. Explore the 1990s Back to top Exhibit Conclusion