Purchase Tickets/Table DONATE Purchase Advertisement Meeting Information Unit 3208 Executive Team meets the First Monday of every month; the General Assembly meeting is the Second Monday of the month. Meetings are held at Community Action Wayne/Medina. 905 Pittsburgh Ave Next Executive Meeting: September 14 th at 4 pm Next General Assembly Meeting: September 14th at 5 pm Wooster/Orrville Youth Council: August 27 th at 6pm, Wayne County Public Library Welcome to #3208NAACP We are the Wooster/Orrville NAACP chapter(#3208). Our goal is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. We are dedicated to providing resources and support to the community in order to create a more just and equitable society for all. Our team is comprised of dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to promote civil rights and social justice. We invite you to learn more about our mission and how you can get involved in our efforts to make a positive impact in our community. Become a Member Search Make a Donation Community Events Wooster Advocacy Group September 12 & 26 Job Opportunities Click the link Above

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Conclusion Written by Mukta Pillai and Abby Frock. Edited by Jordan Biro Walters, PhD and Elora Agsten, MSLIS. The Wooster/Orville NAACP's history reveals the connection between national movements and community activism. Across generations, community members advocated and educated each other about issues of inequality in pursuit of a more just society. Long before the establishment of a local NAACP chapter, Black residents in Wooster organized through institutions such as Second Baptist Church, where community members challenged housing discrimination and worked toward greater social and economic opportunities. Today, the Wooster/Orrville NAACP remains active in Wayne County, continuing a tradition of community engagement, advocacy, and education that stretches back more than half a century. The organization holds annual celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Freedom Fund Banquet , and Juneteenth. The NAACP has urged Wooster schools to hire more diverse educators and update their curriculum to be more inclusive. The annual Juneteenth celebration, often in conjunction with Art of Inclusion, serves as an occasion to highlight the accomplishments of African Americans in Wooster and beyond. The celebration challenges Wayne County residents to address social and racial justice issues within their own community while celebrating liberation. Starting in 2020, the Wooster/Orville NAACP, along with other local organizations, participated in the 1000-day Black Lives Matter rally . Public demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter also drew counterprotests critiquing the NAACP's activism. Critiques came from a desire to see the national NAACP engage in more radical action, reflecting a broken line of communication between the organization and members of the community. Intergenerational activism is not easy. Organizations can unwittingly isolate community members and communication can be difficult across demographics, even if everyone is fighting for the same cause. The national NAACP has historically functioned as a formal political institution. Formal political actions provide legal protection but can leave out the voices of marginalized communities and individuals. For the Wooster/Orrville NAACP, contemporary activism means moving beyond politics. NAACP member Allison Allison’s Art of Inclusion is making art as activism a reality in Wooster. The future of the Wooster/Orrville NAACP is tied to communication, organizing, and working to shift public culture. Art is one form of activism that allows legacy organizations to bridge generational and institutional gaps. The legacy of the Wooster/Orrville NAACP reflects the enduring power of local activism and civic participation in shaping the future. For Wooster and Orrville, legacy means using art, social media, and technology to drive change and reach young community members to keep the organization thriving, growing, and relevant far into the future. Downtown Wooster c. 2017. Image Courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Photo from NAACP 2024 Juneteenth Celebration in Downtown Wooster. Image courtesy of Wooster/Orrville NAACP Juneteenth Gallery. Sometimes community members and organizations can be at odds even if they are fighting for the same cause. Here, a Wooster resident counter-protests an ongoing NAACP march in 2020. Image courtesy of Allison Allison. Oral History Moment (Coming Soon) Allison Allison shares her experiences living in Wooster and her involvement with the NAACP and other organizations in the community. Allison Allison stands in front of her mural at Wooster's Community Action center. Image from Ideastream Public Media, by Ryan Loew. "It can't just be for the young, it can't just be for the old, it needs to be a mesh [the work of the NAACP] " Allison Allison, Oral History (37:45). Exhibit Home

Legal Redress Committee Chairperson: Juanita Greene Lawrence Walker Legal Redress Addresses racial injustice by investigating complaints of discrimination, ensuring access to legal resources, and advocating for the protection of civil rights for all individuals. Printable Complaint Form

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

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

Environment Committee Chairperson: Betty Schuler & Juli Douglass-Gillespie We work to ensure that communities are equipped to engage in sustainability and climate action planning that integrates policies and practices on advancing food justice, advocating for transportation equity, upholding civil and human rights in emergency management, and facilitating participatory democracy. Citizens’ Climate Lobby: Constituent Call for Action on Farm Bill Act We want Congress to stand strong on its commitment to our forests. Ask your members of Congress to protect the Farm Bill investments in climate-smart forestry allocated by the Inflation Reduction Act. Go to this Link for Forests to send your message to your Members of Congress. When you put in your personal information, the site will direct you to the message to be sent. It will send to your senators and your representative.

2026 Essay Winners 2026 Celebration Standing Up for Justice: Community Voices 7PM, Monday January 19 MLK Committee Chairperson: Rev. Kevan Franklin MLK Essay Contest Coordinator: Mady Noble The Martin Luther King Day Committee coordinates community events for the national holiday each year in January honoring Dr. King's birthday. That includes a Celebration Service that focuses on Rev. Dr. King's role in the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing work in racial justice, anti-poverty, and equal rights for all people. The Committee also coordinates the Martin Luther King Essay Contest for students in Wayne County schools to learn more about Dr. King's legacy. Winners of the Essay Contest each year are presented at the Celebration Service. The Committee meets monthly between March and January on the 1st Monday of the month [if possible]. Most of our meetings are on Zoom. For more information contact: Rev. Kevan Franklin docksf@aol.com Mady Noble madeleinenoble424@gmail.com Essay Prompts MLK Commemoration/College of Wooster 2024 Essay Winners MLK Gallery 2025 Essay Winners Wooster/Orrville

Wooster/Orrville Youth Council #3870 President: Brooklyn Chelakadan VP 1: Clara Mariola VP 2: Laeticia Halene VP 3: Kameah Lyons Secretary: Kate Fearon Treasurer: Andrew James Advisor: Oliver Warren Appointed Co-Advisor: Brian Questel Our general assembly meeting is every last Tuesday of the month at 6pm at the Wayne County Public Library . (December 30th) All are welcome to join. (November 25th) Click the link below to read the latest edition The Wooster Blade

1990s: National Conflict within NAACP Overshadows Local Progress National Conflicts Written by Celeste Probart. Edited by Jordan Biro Walters, PhD and Elora Agsten, MSLIS. Nationally, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, the chairperson of the NAACP, was replaced by Reverend Benjamin Chavis Jr. in 1992. Less than a year and a half later, Chavis was asked to step down due to sexual misconduct and improper spending of NAACP funds. Upper members of the NAACP, including Chavis, were accused of allowing gender-based discrimination to occur. In a replacement vote, Myrlie Evers-Williams would narrowly win the vote 30-29 against William Gibson. The NAACP issued two statements denying the sexual misconduct and gender discrimination. Evers-Williams win helped to soften the masculine image of the NAACP. In civil rights activism, Black women’s work often goes under recognized including in the NAACP, since few women held leadership roles. Myrile Evers-Williams speaking at the College of Wooster in 1996 -> Local Progress The NAACP also had financial troubles. The organization obtained approximately $4.7 million in debt from Chavis, although lower numbers have been reported, between $4.5-3 million. Despite these financial challenges, they would recover quickly. This was done by asking local branches, like Wooster/Orrville, to contribute $1,000 each and furloughing 88 employees for two weeks. In 1996, Chairperson Evers-Williams would visit Wooster and speak at the College. Myrile Evers-Williams speaking, exact date unknown but likely at the swearing in of Kweisi Mfume as the president of NAACP in 1996. Local Progress Wooster, on the other hand, had a seamless turnover in leadership. Lawerence Walker was elected president in 1991, replacing Ron Hill. His closeness with his mother, Mary Walker, led him to pursue activism within the community. When he was in junior high, she ran for city council. However, Mary’s name was left off the ballot and had to be written in, a major factor in her loss. Walker remembers this being a turning point in his life, propelling him into activism. Following his mother’s footsteps, he served on the fair housing board for many years. With his service, the housing board saw a marked improvement. When Walker stepped into the role, he handled multiple cases a week. In recent years, the case load has almost completely disappeared. A Second Baptist Church document shows Lawrence Walker's family tree. Congregation of Second Baptist Church when Lawrence Walker was a member. Primarily, Walker's NAACP presidency focused on equal employment opportunities and housing on a local level. Growing up in Wooster, Walker was familiar with complaints in these two areas. In his oral history, he speaks about the difficulty of intervening in workplace discrimination. S trides made against redlining and workplace discrimination were able to be taken because of previous work of the national chapter of the NAACP and other civil rights groups. The national NAACP was consumed with rebuilding it's financial difficulties leaving the local chapter unable to turn to it for help. What is redlining? Redlining map of Milwaukee. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.) Lawrence Walker's oral history "I was proud of what we did as an organization" -Lawrence Walker (36:31) Lawrence Walker speaks on his life growing up in Wooster and experience as the president of NAACP. Oral History Moment Walker discusses his role in the NAACP from 33:05-35:35 Reflection on the 1990s Throughout the 1990s, the local NAACP worked primarily against redlining and employment difficulties. Through various efforts, the fair housing board would eventually decrease the number of housing discrimination cases. On a national level, there was conflict within the organization from poor spending and gender based issues. These issues would get resolved within the decade and a new president, Kweisi Mfume, revitalize the image of the NAACP. Back to top Conclusion Sources and Further Reading Primary Sources Claremont.edu. “Myrlie Evers-Williams Speaking at NAACP Meeting with Kweisi Mfume in Attendance,” 2023. https://ccdl.claremont.edu/digital/collection/mew/id/69/rec/5 . Editors, Wooster Voice, "The Wooster Voice (Wooster, OH), 1995-11-17" (1995). The Voice: 1991-2000. 129. https://openworks.wooster.edu/voice1991-2000/129 Emerge (Rosslyn, United States). “Triumphant Flight: Myrlie Evers-Williams Overcame Doubters, Insults and Slights at the NAACP.” March 1999. Marable, Manning. “The Black Radical Congress: Revitalizing the Black Freedom Movement.” The Black Scholar 28, no. 1 (1998): 54–70. https://doi.org/10.2307/41068775 . National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cofc.edu. “NAACP Media Alert, Official Statement of Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. - LCDL Catalog Search,” 2016. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:110239. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cofc.edu. “NAACP Media Alert, Official Statement of Dr. William F. Gibson - LCDL Catalog Search,” 2016. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:110240. Page, Clarence. “IMAGE AWARD? THE BATTLE’S NOT OVER FOR NAACP: [NORTH SPORTS FINAL Edition].” PERSPECTIVE. Chicago Tribune (Pre-1997 Fulltext) (Chicago, Ill., United States), February 22, 1995. Pittsburgh Post - Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pa., United States). “Chavis’ Chapter: [SOONER Edition].” EDITORIAL. August 24, 1994. Sevilla, Graciela, and Guy Gugliotta. “NAACP Sets Fund-Raising Drive to Retire Debt; Goal Is $3.8 Million by Year’s End; Union Files Grievance on Behalf of Furloughed Staff: [FINAL Edition].” A SECTION. The Washington Post (Pre-1997 Fulltext) (Washington, D.C., United States), November 3, 1994. Walker, Lawrence . Lawrence Walker Oral History Interview - On the History of Wooster, Ohio - June 21, 2023. Interview by Delani Patterson, Bryce Thompson, and Mady Noble, June 21, 2023. Secondary Sources Purnell, Brian, Jeanne Theoharis, and Komozi Woodard. The Strange Careers of the Jim Crow North : Segregation and Struggle outside of the South. New York: New York University Press, 2019. Exhibit Home

Member Appreciation Event 2025 Member's Event Gallery A big thank you to all those who joined us in celebrations of NAACP Wooster/Orrville. Special thank you State President Tom Roberts Justin Gilmore Westminster Presbyterian Church We look forward to the 2026 Member's Appreciation Event. Executive Team

1980s: The National Story Comes to Wooster Written by Haruka Ueda & Abby Frock. Edited by Jordan Biro Walters, PhD and Elora Agsten, MSLIS. The Wooster/Orrville NAACP was an important facilitator for promoting dialogue about racial equality throughout the community. It expanded its activism and increased awareness by connecting with other NAACP branches and prominent figures. During Black History Month in 1989, the Wooster/Orrville NAACP organized a weekly lecture series featuring guest speakers on topics related to Black history. Speakers included Terry Kershaw, Professor of Sociology at the College of Wooster, Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold of the Cleveland Municipal Court, and a panel of local teachers. Rosa Parks in Wooster, Ohio Another important facilitator for change was The Freedom Fund Banquet. The event is a dinner and fundraiser for the Wooster/Orville NAACP’s continued civil rights activities. The Banquet also recognizes achievements in the Civil Rights Movement each year. One of the most notable guest speakers in the 1980s was Rosa Parks. She is recognized as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” for spearheading a year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama after refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Wooster/Orrville NAACP member Lydia Thompson was responsible for bringing Rosa Parks to Wooster. NAACP Meeting Discussing the Invitation of Rosa Parks (Image courtesy of Wooster Public Library). Before the boycott, Parks worked as an active member of the NAACP in Alabama, investigating cases of racial injustice and advocating equal rights. In 1944, she helped organize the Committee for Equal Justice for Recy Taylor, a Black woman who survived a sexual assault. The committee recruited supporters across the U.S., and it was later called the “strongest campaign for equal justice to be seen in a decade.” Her lifelong commitment to social justice continued through her work with the NAACP and alongside leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Midwest was not an exception to her impact. Her visit to the Freedom Fund Banquet in Wooster was meaningful to many residents, as it acknowledged the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement. Her visit also highlighted that people across the nation worked toward the same goals. In 2002, Wooster’s City Council legislated to name an unnamed road through Christmas Run Park “Rosa Parks Way” in honor of her contribution to justice. Rosa Parks Avenue: 143 Park Ave Wooster, OH 44691 (Wooster Digital History Project). Oral History Moment Lydia Thompson reflects on bringing Rosa Parks to Wooster (20:39 – 27:00). " I called her. I could have cried. " Lydia Thompson, Oral History (23:01). Marching for Martin Luther King Jr. Day The Wooster/Orrville NAACP participated in regional and national issues. Former branch president and founder James Harris described one of the major highlights from the time of his leadership as a national campaign accomplished in the 1980s. The national NAACP organized a campaign to collect one million signatures in support of establishing Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a national holiday. Harris and the Wooster/Orrville NAACP participated in a series of marches from Cincinnati to Columbus to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. These marches were organized by the Cincinnati NAACP chapter as a part of the larger national campaign. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was finally recognized as a national holiday in 1986. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1963 March on Washington. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Oral History Moment In this segment, James Harris discusses the national NAACP movement to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday (48:35 – 52:04). When James Harris was asked about the most influential thing the NAACP did for the Wooster/Orrville community, he said “Just being here was the most important thing.” James Harris significantly contributed to fighting racial discrimination on a regional scale. " Just being here was the most important. " － James Harris Oral History (52:04) The Fight for Equitable Education in Northeast Ohio Cleveland City Schools During the 1980s, educational institutions confronted racial segregation, particularly in public schools, higher education, and faculty representation. Segregation limited educational opportunities for many Black students. While segregation was not legislated in Cleveland as it was in southern cities, racial divides were marked by geography and neighborhood demographics. Many Black families were concentrated on Cleveland's East Side where there were fewer schools, businesses, and economic opportunities. Students gather with balloons at Kenneth W. Clement Elementary School on September 29, 1980, the year that desegregation was fully implemented in Cleveland City Schools. (Image courtesy of Cleveland Civil Rights Trail). Cleveland City Schools on the East Side suffered from decades of overcrowding while predominantly white schools on the West Side hosted empty classrooms. Legal change occurred in 1980 when U.S. District Judge Frank Battisti ruled that Ohio’s State Board of Education was responsible for maintaining segregation in the school system. It resulted in the court requiring Cleveland City Schools to desegregate. The mandate included a busing plan, which transported students to schools outside their neighborhoods to achieve racial balance, and encouraged open enrollment. Unfortunately, and as in many other Northern cities, formal desegregation was not entirely successful. Many white families left city districts as a part of "White Flight" to Cleveland's developing suburbs. This once again left Cleveland City Schools as a predominantly Black district with fewer resources than predominantly white schools. Judge Frank Battisti was in charge of the Cleveland public school desegregation case. (Image courtesy of Cleveland Civil Rights Trail). A photograph of the first day of school busing. (Image courtesy of Cleveland Civil Rights Trail). The College of Wooster and Student Activism Efforts to address racial inequality also extended to higher education. At the College of Wooster, President Copeland established the Committee on the Quality of Life for Black Students in 1982. The committee aimed to improve the experiences of Black students through increased recruitment, retention, and faculty diversity. Students themselves also became increasingly active in demanding further changes. In 1989, a group of students, led by Mark Goodman, occupied Galpin Hall and presented a list of demands for greater support of Black students. The demands included hiring more Black faculty and increasing financial aid. Goodman now serves as the President of the Board of Trustees at the College of Wooster, beginning in 2025. Black members of the campus community took action around 7 a.m. on a Thursday in April 1989. (Wooster Digital History Project). Students successfully occupied the Galpin Hall and locked the deans and administrators outside. (Image courtesy of WoosterHistory). The student movement inspired community involvement. In 1989, President Henry Copeland set a time to invite Black communities to discuss problems and solutions for equal opportunities in the Wooster community. Meanwhile, he requested an increased number of security officers around Beall Avenue to allow people to visit with greater safety. In addition, he requested that faculty devote two class periods to engage students in a discussion about racial discrimination on campus and in the community. The Galpin takeover and the successive changes are strong examples of how a small student community can promote and expand activism to the broader community. George Forbes and Black Businesses It was not until the 1980s that Ohio began implementing stronger protections for minority-owned businesses even though President Richard Nixon had issued Executive Order 11458 in 1969 to establish the Office of Minority Business Enterprise. The Ohio state government passed the Minority Business Enterprise Act (House Bill 584) in 1980. With the creation of this legislation, several of Cleveland’s Black political leaders, including George Forbes, the President of the Cleveland City Council, supported affirmative action and set-aside programs for minority businesses. Forbes demanded that entities follow the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity standards when they failed to do so. George Forbes was the first Black man elected as President of the Cleveland City Council and a founding partner of the first African American law firm in Cleveland . After earning a law degree, he became a strong advocate for Black communities and became one of the most influential Black politicians in Cleveland during the 1980s. George Forbes (left) and Carl B. Stokes (right), prominent African American leaders in Cleveland whose work in politics and public service contributed to the advancement of civil rights. (Image courtesy of Cleveland History Center). A Decade of National and Regional Engagement The 1980s brought greater social and civil rights improvements across Northeast Ohio. Building social justice in a small Midwest town in the 1980s meant broader engagement with national and regional issues. The Wooster/Orrville NAACP participated at many levels of activism, from the Martin Luther King Jr. Day marches to hosting Rosa Parks in Wooster. In Northeast Ohio, school segregation formally ended and economic opportunities improved for Black residents. Even though the 1980s saw marked progress in education, economics, and civic engagement, racial discrimination persisted. The Wooster/Orrville NAACP continued as a site of activism. Rosa Parks in the 1990s. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Sources and Further Reading Primary Sources Brucker, Barb. “‘Freedom Fund’ Banquet for Local NAACP.” Daily Record (Wooster, OH), September 18, 1978, 30. Brucker, Barb. “‘Still Fighting For Freedom’ Says NAACP Official.” Daily Record (Wooster, OH), September 22, 1979, 9. Budher, Glenn R. Letter to Colleague, 5 April 1989. Special Collection, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH. Colins, Bee. “NAACP Spokesmen Talk With Mayor.” Daily Record (Wooster, Ohio), January 22, 1980. Copeland, Henry. Letter to Members of the Campus Community, 29 March 1989. Special Collection, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH. Daisy Craggett and Clara Smith, “School Rooms,” The Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 20, 1961. Harris, James. James Harris Oral History. Interview by Mady Noble, Beatrice Adams, and Greg Shaya. The Wooster Digital History Project: The College of Wooster, 2023. Johnson, E. E. “Mother of Civil Rights Movement Will Speak at Local NAACP Event.” Daily Record (Wooster, OH), May 11, 1989, 1. NAACP Cleveland Branch. “Freedom Fund Dinner.” n.d. https://clevelandnaacp.org/freedom-fund-dinner/ . Neely, Chanda. “Local NAACP Fund-Raiser Is Saturday.” Daily Record (Wooster, OH), October 24, 2006. Secrest, Barbara D. “Resident Enjoyed Program Put On By NAACP.” Daily Record (Wooster, Ohio), February 27, 1989. Spigos, Mark. “NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner on Oct. 11 Raise Money for Local Grads.” Daily Record (Wooster, OH), September 26, 2014. Staff Writer. “Council to Consider Rosa Parks Way in Park.” Wooster Daily Record, March 31, 2002. https://www.the-daily-record.com/story/news/2002/03/31/council-to-consider-rosa-parks/19609384007/ . Theoharis, Jeanne, Komozi Woodard, and Dayo F. Gore, eds. Want to Start a Revolution? Radical Women in the Black Freedom Struggle. New York: New York University Press, 2009. Chapter 5. Thompson, Lydia. Lydia Thompson Oral History Interview. Interview by Lawrence Walker and Greg Shaya. The Wooster Digital History Project: The College of Wooster, 2022. Wikimedia Commons contributors, "File:Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mathew Ahmann in a crowd.) - NARA - 542015 - Restoration.jpg," Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Commons contributors, "File:Rosa Parks 1996.jpg," Wikimedia Commons. WoosterHistory. “The Galpin Takeover (1989).” Additional information. December 5, 2025. YouTube video, 6:01. https://youtu.be/mA-5C8Jz7Tc . Secondary Sources “Desegregation of Cleveland Public Schools - Cleveland Civil Rights Trail.” 2024. Cleveland Civil Rights Trail. February 2024. https://clevelandcivilrightstrail.org/explore-the-trail/desegregation-of-cleveland-public-schools/ . Footlick, Jerrold K. 2015. An Adventure in Education . House-Soremekun, Bessie. 2009. Confronting the Odds . McLaughlin, Meghan. 2022. “Desegregating Schools in the North: The Cincinnati Board of Education and the NAACP.” Wittenberg History Journal 42: 53–69. https://wittprojects.net/ojs/index.php/whj/article/view/268 . The HistoryMakers. “The Honorable George Forbes’s Biography,” 2020. https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/honorable-george-forbes. Wickliffe, Bryan. 2026. “Segregation in Columbus, Ohio Did It Ever Leave.” Open Works. 2026. https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/3871/ . Williamson, Terrion L. Black in the Middle: An Anthology of the Black Midwest . Cleveland, Ohio Best Publishing, 2020. Exhibit Home Next Decade