John Mitchell, Jr. (editor)
Encyclopedia
John Mitchell, Jr. was an African American
businessman, politician
, and newspaper editor.
Mitchell was a civic leader and civil rights
activist in Richmond, Virginia
’s Jackson Ward
community, a neighborhood of free African Americans and freed slaves
which became known as the “Black Wall Street of America.”
He was a long-time editor of the Richmond Planet, an African American newspaper. "it was under his tenure that the Planet gained its well-deserved reputation as a proponent of racial equality and of rights for the African-American community."
Resulting from his fearless reportage and campaign against racist lynching
,
Mitchell was also the founder and president of the Mechanics Savings Bank. In 1921, Mitchell ran unsuccessfully to become Governor of Virginia
. He is the subject of an extensive exhibit at the Library of Virginia
.
In 1904, Mitchell organized a boycott of Richmond’s segregated trolleys which resulted in penalties to white passengers and sent the streetcar company into receivership when it persisted with its Jim Crow policy.
He is buried in an unmarked grave in Richmond’s Evergreen Cemetery.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
businessman, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, and newspaper editor.
Mitchell was a civic leader and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
’s Jackson Ward
Jackson Ward
Jackson Ward is a historically African-American neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia, USA. It is located less than a mile from the Virginia State Capitol...
community, a neighborhood of free African Americans and freed slaves
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
which became known as the “Black Wall Street of America.”
He was a long-time editor of the Richmond Planet, an African American newspaper. "it was under his tenure that the Planet gained its well-deserved reputation as a proponent of racial equality and of rights for the African-American community."
Resulting from his fearless reportage and campaign against racist lynching
Lynching in the United States
Lynching, the practice of killing people by extrajudicial mob action, occurred in the United States chiefly from the late 18th century through the 1960s. Lynchings took place most frequently in the South from 1890 to the 1920s, with a peak in the annual toll in 1892.It is associated with...
,
Mitchell himself was threatened with hanging at the hands of a Charlotte County mob angered by his reporting of the lynching, there, of Richard Walker in May 1886. Mitchell was sent a rope with a note attached warning him that he would be lynched himself if he ever set foot in the county. In reply, and borrowing a line from Shakespeare, Mitchell had this to say : “There are no terrors, Cassius, in your threats, for I am so strong in honesty that they pass by me like the idle wind, which I respect not.” Then, armed with two Smith and Wesson pistols, he boarded a train for Smithville, and undeterred, walked the five miles from the station to the site of the hanging. [Maurice Duke and Daniel P. Jordan, eds., A Richmond Reader: 1733-1983, (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1983), 327-328]
Mitchell was also the founder and president of the Mechanics Savings Bank. In 1921, Mitchell ran unsuccessfully to become Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
. He is the subject of an extensive exhibit at the Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, its archival agency, and the reference library at the seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and is located at 800 East Broad Street, 2 blocks from the Virginia State...
.
In 1904, Mitchell organized a boycott of Richmond’s segregated trolleys which resulted in penalties to white passengers and sent the streetcar company into receivership when it persisted with its Jim Crow policy.
He is buried in an unmarked grave in Richmond’s Evergreen Cemetery.
See also
- Elizabeth Jennings GrahamElizabeth Jennings GrahamElizabeth Jennings Graham was a black woman who lived in New York City. She figured in an important early civil rights case, when she insisted on her right to ride on a streetcar in 1854.-Early life:...
--desegregation campaigner (in New York, 1854) - Irene MorganIrene MorganIrene Morgan , later known as Irene Morgan Kirkaldy, was an important predecessor to Rosa Parks in the successful fight to overturn segregation laws in the United States...
- Rosa ParksRosa ParksRosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....