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The Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL) was a society in Mississippi founded by T. R. M. Howard in 1951 to promote a program of civil rights, self-help, and business ownership for African Americans. It pledged "to guide our people in their civic responsibilities regarding education, registration and voting, law enforcement, tax paying, the preservation of property, the value of saving and in all things which will make us stable, qualified conscientious citizens." Instead of starting from the "grass roots," however, the strategy was to "reach the masses through their chosen leaders" by harnessing the talents of blacks with a proven record in business, the professions, education, and the church.^[1]

History[edit]

At first the RCNL did not directly challenge "separate but equal" (much like the initial stance of the Montgomery Improvement Association), but zeroed in on the need to guarantee the "equal."^[2] It often identified inadequate schools as the primary factor responsible for the Northern black exodus. Instead of demanding immediate integration, however, it called for equal school terms for both races. From the beginning, the RCNL also pledged an "all-out fight for unrestricted voting rights."^[3]

16 relatively autonomous committees, each headed by a respected leader in business, education, the church, or the professions, formed the backbone of the RCNL. The committees, in turn, reported to an executive board and board of directors headed by Howard. The RCNL's constitution stipulated that each town or city with at least one thousand blacks in the Delta was entitled to representation. To build mass support for the work of these committees, the RCNL made sure to hold its business meetings in different locations each year.

Membership[edit]

The RCNL attracted many individuals of ability and prestige including Aaron Henry, a druggist and NAACP officer from Clarksdale, Mississippi; Amzie Moore, an NAACP activist and gas station owner from Cleveland, Mississippi; President Arenia Mallory of Saints Junior College in Lexington, Mississippi; and President J. H. White of Mississippi Vocational College, now (Mississippi Valley State University), in Itta Bena, Mississippi. For many, it was their first exposure to civil rights and a training ground. In contrast to later groups, such as the Montgomery Improvement Association, most RCNL leaders were businesspeople and professionals. Relatively few were from the clergy.^[4]

Perhaps RCNL's most famous member was Medgar Evers.^[5] Fresh from graduation at Alcorn State University in 1952, he had moved to Mound Bayou to sell insurance for Howard. Evers soon became the RCNL's program director and helped to organize a boycott of service stations that failed to provide restrooms for blacks. As part of this campaign, the RCNL distributed an estimated twenty thousand bumper stickers with the slogan "Don’t Buy Gas Where You Can’t Use the Rest Room." Beginning in 1953, it directly challenged "separate but equal" and demanded integration of schools.^[4]

The RCNL's annual meetings in Mound Bayou between 1952 and 1955 attracted crowds of ten thousand or more.^[2] They featured speeches by Rep. William L. Dawson of Chicago, Rep. Charles Diggs of Michigan, Alderman Archibald J. Carey Jr. of Chicago, and NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall. Each of these events, in the words of Myrlie Evers, later Myrlie Evers-Williams, the wife of Medgar, constituted "a huge all-day camp meeting: a combination of pep rally, old-time revival, and Sunday church picnic." The conferences also included panels and workshops on voting rights, business ownership, and other issues. Attendance was a life transforming experience for many younger and future civil black leaders such as Fannie Lou Hamer.^[4]^[2]

In 1955, RCNL officials, including Howard and Amzie Moore, played key roles in helping to find evidence in the Emmett Till murder case. During the trial, Mamie Till Bradley, who was Emmett's mother, key witnesses, such as Willie Reed, and black reporters stayed in Howard's home in Mound Bayou.^[6] Dr. Howard, referring to the murders of and Emmett Till and George W. Lee, and the attempted murder of Gus Courts, charged that the FBI "can’t seem to solve a crime where a Negro is involved." The statement angered FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who credited the FBI with the "virtual elimination of lynchings in the South," and with "breaking up the Ku Klux Klan in the Carolinas and Georgia."^[4]

The RCNL went into decline after Howard left the state at the beginning of 1956. Nevertheless, it continued to attract many of the state's prominent civil rights leaders including Amzie Moore and Aaron Henry. The RCNL was still in existence in 1962 but was already being pushed into the shadows by groups such as the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).^[7]

References[edit]

^ Beito, David T.; Beito, Linda Royster (2018). T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer (First ed.). Oakland: Institute. pp. 78–82. ISBN 978-1-59813-312-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c "RCNL holds first mass meeting in Mississippi Delta". SNCC Digital Gateway. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
^ Beito, David T.; Beito, Linda Royster (2018). T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer (First ed.). Oakland: Institute. pp. 80–83. ISBN 978-1-59813-312-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Challenges Negro Leader On Charges". The Sunday News Journal. Associated Press. January 19, 1956. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
^ "Struggle of Medgar Evans". Medgar Evans College. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
^ Beito, David. "Mound Bayou Takes the Lead in the Modern Civil Rights Movement | AIER". www.aier.org. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
^ Beito, David T.; Beito, Linda Royster (2018). T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer (First ed.). Oakland: Institute. pp. 202, 215–216. ISBN 978-1-59813-312-7.

External links[edit]

"RCNL," One Person, One Vote

[1] Beito, David T.; Beito, Linda Royster (2018). T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer (First ed.). Oakland: Institute. pp. 78–82. ISBN 978-1-59813-312-7.

[:1-2] "RCNL holds first mass meeting in Mississippi Delta". SNCC Digital Gateway. Retrieved 2024-03-01.

[3] Beito, David T.; Beito, Linda Royster (2018). T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer (First ed.). Oakland: Institute. pp. 80–83. ISBN 978-1-59813-312-7.

[:0-4] "Challenges Negro Leader On Charges". The Sunday News Journal. Associated Press. January 19, 1956. Retrieved November 29, 2010.

[5] "Struggle of Medgar Evans". Medgar Evans College. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

[6] Beito, David. "Mound Bayou Takes the Lead in the Modern Civil Rights Movement | AIER". www.aier.org. Retrieved 2024-03-01.

[7] Beito, David T.; Beito, Linda Royster (2018). T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer (First ed.). Oakland: Institute. pp. 202, 215–216. ISBN 978-1-59813-312-7.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Society in Mississippi founded by T. R. M. Howard}}
-The '''Regional Council of Negro Leadership''' (RCNL) was a society in Mississippi founded by [[T. R. M. Howard]] in 1951 to promote a program of civil rights, self-help, and business ownership.  It pledged “to guide our people in their civic responsibilities regarding education, registration and voting, law enforcement, tax paying, the preservation of property, the value of saving and in all things which will make us stable, qualified conscientious citizens.”  Instead of starting from the “grass roots,” however, the strategy was to “reach the masses through their chosen leaders” by harnessing the talents of blacks with a proven record in business, the professions, education, and the church.
+{{Multiple issues|{{one source|date=January 2018}}
+{{quality|reason=The article has an over-reliance on quotes and does not properly cite sources.|date=March 2024}}}}
+The '''Regional Council of Negro Leadership''' ('''RCNL''') was a society in [[Mississippi]] founded by [[T. R. M. Howard]] in 1951 to promote a program of civil rights, self-help, and business ownership for [[African Americans]]. It pledged "to guide our people in their civic responsibilities regarding education, registration and voting, law enforcement, tax paying, the preservation of property, the value of saving and in all things which will make us stable, qualified conscientious citizens." Instead of starting from the "grass roots," however, the strategy was to "reach the masses through their chosen leaders" by harnessing the talents of blacks with a proven record in business, the professions, education, and the church.<ref>{{cite book | last=Beito | first=David T. |author2=Beito, Linda Royster  | title=T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer | edition=First | pages=78–82| location=Oakland | publisher=Institute | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-59813-312-7 }}</ref>
-At first the RCNL did not directly challenge "separate but equal" (much like the initial stance of the [[Montgomery Improvement Association]]), but zeroed in on the need to guarantee the "equal."  It often identified inadequate schools as the primary factor responsible for the Northern black exodus.  Instead of demanding immediate [[Racial integration|integration]], however, it  called for equal school terms for both races.   From the beginning, the RCNL also pledged an "all-out fight for unrestricted [[Voting rights in the United States|voting rights]]."
+{{CRM in Mississippi}}
-relatively autonomous committees, each headed by a respected leader in business, education, the church, or the professions, formed the backbone of the RCNL.  The committees, in turn, reported to an executive board and board of directors headed by Howard.  The RCNL’s constitution stipulated that each town or city with at least one thousand blacks in the Delta was entitled to representation.  To build mass support for the work of these committees, the RCNL made sure to hold its business meetings in different locations each year.
+== History ==
-The RCNL attracted many individuals of ability and prestige including [[Aaron Henry]], a druggist and [[NAACP]] officer from [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]]; [[Amzie Moore]], an NAACP activist and gas station owner from [[Cleveland, Mississippi]]; President [[Arenia Mallory]] of Saints Junior College in [[Lexington, Mississippi]]; and President [[J.H. White]] of Mississippi Vocational College, now ([[Mississippi Valley State University]]), in [[Itta Bena, Mississippi]].  For many, it was their first exposure to civil rights and a training ground.  In contrast to later groups, such as the [[Montgomery Improvement Association]], most RCNL leaders were businesspeople and professionals.  Relatively few were from the clergy.
+At first the RCNL did not directly challenge "separate but equal" (much like the initial stance of the [[Montgomery Improvement Association]]), but zeroed in on the need to guarantee the "equal."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=RCNL holds first mass meeting in Mississippi Delta |url=https://snccdigital.org/events/rcnl-holds-first-mass-meeting-mississippi-delta/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=SNCC Digital Gateway |language=en}}</ref>  It often identified inadequate schools as the primary factor responsible for the Northern black exodus. Instead of demanding immediate [[Racial integration|integration]], however, it called for equal school terms for both races. From the beginning, the RCNL also pledged an "all-out fight for unrestricted [[Voting rights in the United States|voting rights]]."<ref>{{cite book | last=Beito | first=David T. |author2=Beito, Linda Royster  | title=T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer | edition=First | pages=80–83| location=Oakland | publisher=Institute | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-59813-312-7 }}</ref>
+relatively autonomous committees, each headed by a respected leader in business, education, the church, or the professions, formed the backbone of the RCNL. The committees, in turn, reported to an executive board and board of directors headed by Howard.  The RCNL's constitution stipulated that each town or city with at least one thousand blacks in the Delta was entitled to representation.  To build mass support for the work of these committees, the RCNL made sure to hold its business meetings in different locations each year.
-The RCNL's most famous member was [[Medgar Evers]].  Fresh from graduation at [[Alcorn State University]] in 1952, he had moved to Mound Bayou to sell insurance for Howard.  Evers soon became the RCNL's program director and helped to organize a boycott of service stations that failed to provide restrooms for blacks.  As part of this campaign, the RCNL distributed an estimated twenty thousand bumper stickers with the slogan “Don’t Buy Gas Where You Can’t Use the Rest Room."  Beginning in 1953, it directly challenged "separate but equal" and demanded integration of schools.
+== Membership ==
-The RCNL’s annual meetings in Mound Bayou between 1952 and 1955 attracted crowds of ten thousand or more.  They featured speeches by Rep. [[William L. Dawson (politician)|William L. Dawson]] of [[Chicago]], Rep. [[Charles Diggs]] of [[Michigan]], Alderman [[Archibald Carey, Jr|Archibald J. Carey Jr.]] of [[Chicago]], and NAACP attorney [[Thurgood Marshall]].  Each of these events, in the words of Myrlie Evers, later [[Myrlie Evers-Williams]], the wife of Medgar, constituted "a huge all-day camp meeting: a combination of pep rally, old-time revival, and Sunday church picnic."  The conferences also included panels and workshops on [[Voting rights in the United States|voting rights]], business ownership, and other issues.  Attendance was a life transforming experience for many younger and future civil black leaders such as [[Fannie Lou Hamer]].
+The RCNL attracted many individuals of ability and prestige including [[Aaron Henry (politician)|Aaron Henry]], a druggist and [[NAACP]] officer from [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]]; [[Amzie Moore]], an NAACP activist and gas station owner from [[Cleveland, Mississippi]]; President [[Arenia Mallory]] of Saints Junior College in [[Lexington, Mississippi]]; and President J. H. White of Mississippi Vocational College, now ([[Mississippi Valley State University]]), in [[Itta Bena, Mississippi]]. For many, it was their first exposure to civil rights and a training ground.  In contrast to later groups, such as the [[Montgomery Improvement Association]], most RCNL leaders were businesspeople and professionals. Relatively few were from the clergy.<ref name=":0" />
+Perhaps RCNL's most famous member was [[Medgar Evers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Struggle of Medgar Evans |url=https://www.mec.cuny.edu/about/history/struggle-of-medgar-evers/ |access-date=March 1, 2024 |website=Medgar Evans College}}</ref> Fresh from graduation at [[Alcorn State University]] in 1952, he had moved to Mound Bayou to sell insurance for Howard.  Evers soon became the RCNL's program director and helped to organize a boycott of service stations that failed to provide restrooms for blacks.  As part of this campaign, the RCNL distributed an estimated twenty thousand bumper stickers with the slogan "Don’t Buy Gas Where You Can’t Use the Rest Room." Beginning in 1953, it directly challenged "separate but equal" and demanded integration of schools.<ref name=":0" />
-In 1955, RCNL officials, including Howard and Amzie Moore, played key roles in helping to find evidence in the [[Emmett Till]] murder case.  During the trial, [[Mamie Till Bradley]], who was Emmett's mother, key witnesses, such as Willie Reed, and black reporters stayed in Howard's home in Mound Bayou.  Dr. Howard, referring to the murders of and [[Emett Till]] and [[George W. Lee]], and the attempted murder of [[Gus Courts]], charged that the FBI “can’t seem to solve a crime where a Negro is involved.” The statement angered FBI Director Herbert Hoover, who credited the FBI with the “virtual elimination of lynchings in the South,” and with “breaking up the Ku Klux Klan in the Carolinas and Georgia.”<ref>{{cite news |title=Challenges Negro Leader On Charges |author=Associated Press |newspaper=The Sunday News Journal |date=January 19, 1956 |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O30oAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g8sEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3396,2168895&dq=regional+council+of+negro+leadership&hl=en |accessdate=November 29, 2010}}</ref>
+The RCNL's annual meetings in Mound Bayou between 1952 and 1955 attracted crowds of ten thousand or more.<ref name=":1" /> They featured speeches by Rep. [[William L. Dawson (politician)|William L. Dawson]] of [[Chicago]], Rep. [[Charles Diggs]] of [[Michigan]], Alderman [[Archibald Carey, Jr|Archibald J. Carey Jr.]] of [[Chicago]], and NAACP attorney [[Thurgood Marshall]].  Each of these events, in the words of Myrlie Evers, later [[Myrlie Evers-Williams]], the wife of Medgar, constituted "a huge all-day [[camp meeting]]: a combination of pep rally, old-time revival, and Sunday church picnic." The conferences also included panels and workshops on [[Voting rights in the United States|voting rights]], business ownership, and other issues. Attendance was a life transforming experience for many younger and future civil black leaders such as [[Fannie Lou Hamer]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
-The RCNL went into decline after Howard left the state at the beginning of 1956.  Nevertheless, it continued to attract many of the state's prominent civil rights leaders including Amzie Moore and Aaron Henry.  The RCNL was still in existence in 1962 but was already being pushed into the shadows by groups such as the [[Council of Federated Organizations]] (COFO) and the [[Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]] (SNCC).
+In 1955, RCNL officials, including Howard and Amzie Moore, played key roles in helping to find evidence in the [[Emmett Till]] murder case.  During the trial, [[Mamie Till Bradley]], who was Emmett's mother, key witnesses, such as Willie Reed, and black reporters stayed in Howard's home in Mound Bayou.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beito |first=David |title=Mound Bayou Takes the Lead in the Modern Civil Rights Movement {{!}} AIER |url=https://www.aier.org/article/mound-bayou-takes-the-lead-in-the-modern-civil-rights-movement/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=www.aier.org |language=en-US}}</ref>  Dr. Howard, referring to the murders of and [[Emmett Till]] and [[George W. Lee]], and the attempted murder of [[Gus Courts]], charged that the FBI "can’t seem to solve a crime where a Negro is involved." The statement angered FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who credited the FBI with the "virtual elimination of lynchings in the South," and with "breaking up the Ku Klux Klan in the Carolinas and Georgia."<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=Challenges Negro Leader On Charges |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Sunday News Journal |date=January 19, 1956 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O30oAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g8sEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3396,2168895&dq=regional+council+of+negro+leadership&hl=en |access-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref>
+The RCNL went into decline after Howard left the state at the beginning of 1956. Nevertheless, it continued to attract many of the state's prominent civil rights leaders including Amzie Moore and Aaron Henry. The RCNL was still in existence in 1962 but was already being pushed into the shadows by groups such as the [[Council of Federated Organizations]] (COFO) and the [[Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]] (SNCC).<ref>{{cite book | last=Beito | first=David T. |author2=Beito, Linda Royster  | title=T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer | edition=First | pages=202, 215–216| location=Oakland | publisher=Institute | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-59813-312-7 }}</ref>
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
 ==Further reading==
-* {{cite book | last=Beito  | first=David and Linda | coauthors= | title=Black Maverick: T.R.M. Howard's Fight for Civil Rights and Economic Power | location=Urbana | publisher=University of Illinois Press | year=2009 | isbn=9780252034206}}
+* {{cite book | last=Beito  | first=David and Linda | title=T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer | location=Oakland | publisher=Independent Institute | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-59813-312-7}}.
-* {{cite book | last=Dittmer  | first=John  | coauthors= | title=Local People: the Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi | location=Urbana | publisher=University of Illinois Press | year=1994 | isbn=0252021029 }}
+* {{cite book | last=Dittmer | first=John | title=Local People: the Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi | location=Urbana | publisher=University of Illinois Press | year=1994 | isbn=0-252-02102-9 | url=https://archive.org/details/localpeoplestrug00ditt }}
-* {{cite book | last=Payne  | first=Charles M. | coauthors= | title=I've Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle | location=Berkeley  | publisher=University of California Press | year=1995 | isbn=0520085159 }}
+* {{cite book | last=Payne | first=Charles M. | authorlink= Charles M. Payne | title=I've Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle | location=Berkeley | publisher=University of California Press | year=1995 | isbn=0-520-08515-9 | url=https://archive.org/details/ivegotlightoffre00payn }}
+==External links==
-<gallery>
+* [http://onevotesncc.org/profile/rcnl/ "RCNL," One Person, One Vote]
-<!-- Unsourced image removed: Image:Happyfields0012.jpg -->
-</gallery>
-{{African-American Civil Rights Movement}}
+{{Civil rights movement}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Regional Council Of Negro Leadership}}
@@ Line 30: / Line 40: @@
 [[Category:History of African-American civil rights]]
 [[Category:History of civil rights in the United States]]
-[[Category:African American history in Mississippi]]
+[[Category:African-American history of Mississippi]]
-[[Category:Local civil rights history in the United States]]
+[[Category:Organizations based in Mississippi]]

Latest revision as of 10:43, 3 April 2024

History[edit]

Membership[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]