FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2024
Contact: Gail Jeter, president@naacpmiddletown.org
The Middletown Branch of the NAACP has been reinstated at the perfect time… Black History Month.
Black History Month began as Negro History Week in 1926. Its founder was Dr. Carter G. Woodson; a man who devoted his life to educating African Americans about the achievements and contributions of our ancestors. Dr. Woodson received a PhD from Harvard University and was a famous historian, author and journalist. In 1976 Negro History Week was expanded to Black History Month by the organization founded by Dr. Woodson, The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and in 1986 Congress passed Public Law 99-244 designating February as Black History Month. The 2024 theme for Black History Month is African Americans in the Arts.
February also marks the 115th birthday of the NAACP, which was founded in New York City in 1909. The Middletown Branch was founded later that same year, and will also turn 115 years old this year.
As was the case in the American South, the first Black residents here in Orange County were enslaved Africans, brought by Dutch settlers in the 1600s. Most white families in Orange County were slave owners. Black soldiers from Orange County fought and died in the Civil War but could not fight alongside the white soldiers. Black men had to join regiments from other parts of the state.
Black men were lynched throughout the history of New York State, including eleven during the 1863 draft riots, but we only know the names of two lynching victims and both were in Orange County: Robert Mulliner in Newburgh in 1863, and Robert Lewis in Port Jervis in 1892.
That Orange County was in the past. We, the Middletown Chapter, are focusing on the present and the future. We are a diverse group of residents who are working together to achieve the vision and mission of the NAACP throughout Orange County.
Our Vision
We envision an inclusive community rooted in liberation where all persons can exercise their civil and human rights without discrimination.
Our Mission
Our mission is to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well-being, education, and economic security of Black people and all persons of color.
If you live or work in Orange County and are interested in becoming involved please contact us at naacpmiddletown@gmail.com, to learn more about the Middletown NAACP.
