Description:
James E. “Jimmy” Stewart was a courageous activist and tireless promoter of equality for Oklahoma City’s African-American population throughout the critical civil rights period of the 1950s and 1960s. After becoming president of the Oklahoma City chapter of the NAACP in 1950, Stewart helped secure the 43rd National Conference of the NAACP in Oklahoma City.
The event was held June 24-29, 1952 at Calvary Baptist Church and featured nationally known speakers including famed labor leader Walter P. Reuther from the United Auto Workers, Minnesota Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, and integrationist federal judge Waties P. Waring. Also present were the Association’s own famous leaders, Thurgood Marshall, Walter White, Roy Wilkins, Clarence Mitchell, Roscoe Dunjee, and Henry Lee Moon.
Delegates attended meetings and workshops each day and produced a number of resolutions including a call for statehood for Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico; an end to foreign aid for South Africa until Apartheid ended; increased pressure for the removal of segregation and ‘Jim Crow’ laws; support for trade unions; and a call for national religious organizations to integrate and help end segregation. That year was also a presidential election year and, while the NAACP charter forbade endorsement of a candidate, the Association chided both President Truman and candidate Eisenhower for their neglect of racial issues during the campaign.
After each day’s sessions attendees enjoyed dances and dinners at such places as Blossom Heath, Mike and Nell’s Club, the Brockaway Community Center, and even a ‘Chuck Wagon’ picnic was held at Lincoln Park – all sponsored by local civic clubs - not to mention the great jazz clubs in Deep Deuce.
Many delegates were impressed with their stay in Oklahoma City and remarked that the black community here was much better off than in any other southern state. Still, while the noted white speakers such as Humphrey and Reuther stayed at the luxurious Skirvin Hotel, their black counterparts were restricted to hotels and boarding houses in Deep Deuce and the surrounding area. The limited number of rooms available quickly filled and Oklahoma City’s African-American community opened their private homes to delegates from around the country.
Despite these difficulties, the convention was a success, owing largely to Jimmy Stewart’s remarkable planning and leadership skills. The end of segregation was not far off, but there was still a difficult road ahead.
FURTHER READING
Burke, Bob and Angela Monson. Roscoe Dunjee: Champion of Civil Rights. Edmond, Okla.: UCO Press, 1998.
Harris, Jacqueline L. History and achievement of the NAACP. F. Watts, 1992.
James E. Stewart Collection, Metropolitan Library System, Downtown Library
Miles-LaGrange, Vicki and Bob Burke. A Passion for Equality: The Life of Jimmy Stewart. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Heritage Association, 1999.
Teall, Kaye M., Black History in Oklahoma: A Resource Book. [Oklahoma City]: Oklahoma City Public Schools, 1971.