Conditions That Led to Civil Rights Movement in Champaign

by Patricia Plaut

AHTC Summer Institute 2010

Speakers Patricia Sullivan, Bobby Seale, and Julian Bond were absolutely fabulous. Their knowledge on major events that led up to Civil Rights Movement and their perspective on some of the major events of the movement were rich in content and eye opening. But what brought this movement home for me was Mr. Townsend’s talk on what was happening in Champaign, Illinois in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The people involved and the places mentioned made it real, personal, immediate. I then realized that my neighbor, Mrs. M., had lived in Champaign during that time, and I was curious if her recollections were in any way different from Mr. Townsend.

Champaign’s history of discrimination of its African American population probably is mirrored by many other cities in northern states, and the events described by both Mr. Townsend and Mrs. M. can be generalized to other communities. What I found striking was how similar their recollections of Champaign were.

To gain an understanding of the people of Champaign during the Civil Rights Movement I think it is important to look at the population growth of the city. Before 1940, the African American population in Champaign Urbana was never above 2%. Champaign County had 48 African American residents with a total population of 2649 in 1850. During the 1860’s and 1870’s these numbers increased to 233 and 462, respectively with a total population of 26,426 and 32,737, respectively. Fast-forwarding to the 1920’s this number reached 1,620 residents with a total population of ~60,000. (Through the Years, Spring 1995. AHTC-2010 EAMarticle1.jpg and http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1870e-02.pdf , p. 32)

Looking at Champaign Urbana specifically, “During the 1940's Champaign-Urbana's population dramatically increased, including its African-American population. In 1940 Champaign-Urbana had a total population of 37,366, which included 2,106 African-Americans. By the time the 1950 census was taken the towns' population had expanded to 62,397, and their African-American population increased to 4,153. This more than doubling of the local African-American population was related to the dramatic expansion of the University of Illinois following the termination of World War II. As the War ended thousands of returning veterans came to Champaign-Urbana to take advantage of the G.I. Bill's provision for free education. The stimulus to the local economy led to the creation of many jobs and the modernization of infrastructure across the cities.” (http://eblackcu.net/portal/exhibits/show/salem-baptist-church/Technology)

Terry Townsend is a native African American of Champaign, age ~80. Mrs. M. is white, age 84; she was a native of Greenville, MS, moved to Kankakee at age five, came to Champaign in 1947 to study nursing, married, and has lived in Champaign ever since.

Terry Townsend stated that by the 1960’s:

• African Americans lived north of University Avenue, know as the Black Belt, or the North End, or as the African American population referred to it, the East End (NE end of Champaign).
• The African American population was self-contained. They had their own small businesses: barber shops, grocery stores, cleaning and pressing shops, and other. They grew fruit trees and had vegetable gardens and therefore did not frequent the area south of University Avenue, the white end, unless they had jobs there.

Mrs. M. stated that by the 1960’s:

• She never saw African American in her neighborhood grocery stores, parks, or the Champaign Public Library.

Clearly, colored people and whites did not mix. Housing, shopping, and recreation were segregated. Mrs. Coy did not think anything wrong with this at the time; it was simply a fact of life.

Mr. Townsend:

• Illinois had passed laws outlawing segregation. Though no signs for ‘white only’ or ‘colored only’ were present in Champaign, there were non-written rules segregating blacks from the white population. He gave the example where African Americans were expected to sit in the balcony of movie theaters.

Mrs. M.:

• If she encountered an African American on the city bus, the expectation was for her not to sit next to them. “I was in fact a little afraid to sit next to them.” Though unstated and outlawed in Illinois, Champaign residents, both black and white alike, knew they were not to share the same spaces.

Mr. Townsend:

• Jobs for African American were amongst the lowest paying. He mentioned how when the new J C Penney store opened, Ms. Barnes, a highly qualified African American was denied the clerk position solely because of race.

Mrs. M.:

• She worked for Burnham hospital as a nurse and saw neither African American nurses nor African American aides.
• She did not think that the African Americans had their own hospital, but that some did come to Burnham. “They were placed in the wards, not with the general (white) patients.” She never had a problem treating African Americans at the hospitals but felt that other nurses did have issues. [Francis Nelson Health Center had not been built until the 1970’s.]
• Champaign only had one African American police officer at this time and his name was Al Rivers. “He was very handsome,” according to Mrs. M. The Country Club residents on Armory “singled him out” to protect the silver given to brides as wedding gifts. There were three rooms of silver!

Though the University of Illinois had African American students as early as 1887 (http://www.library.illinois.edu/archives/guides/afamer.php) these were few and far between. There were few African American college graduates that could serve as role models for the young African American community.

Mr. Townsend:

• Housing was substandard in the North End.
• Washington Elementary School in the North End was a school for African Americans only.

Mrs. M.:

• The first African American in the Episcopal Church, which she attended, had been brought to the University of Illinois by the GI bill, through the ROTC. “This family was highly educated with an East Coast accent.”
• Later, other African Americans joined the church but only participating in choir.
• Housing for University of Illinois students after WWII, because of the GI bill, was tight. It was even more difficult for the African American students to find housing. They set up bunk beds in places such as the Armory and the Stadium for them.

As the population of Champaign increased, especially post WWII, housing especially for African Americans was very scarce. Most white collar African Americans could not find housing among other white-collar white residents. They had to live in substandard housing in the North End along with the poor and blue collar African Americans. Rampant discrimination for housing, jobs, and schooling led to a great dissatisfaction and resentment among the Africa American population.

As a result, the new JC Penney store was picketed, as were other businesses. Newspaper articles denouncing discrimination became more common. African American organizations, such as the NAACP, Champaign Improvement Organization, and others were founded as a way to fight discrimination. Among vocal African American advocates for change in Champaign were Kenneth Stratton and Vernon L. Barkstall. Schools have been named after these pillars of the African American community. Mr. Townsend feels that there has been improvement in Champaign, but not enough.

Mrs. Townsend stated that similar issues for the African Americans exist today as they were present in the 50’s and 60’s. He feels that there is still discrimination towards African Americans and Latinos. The three concerns he feels that plague African Americans and Latinos today in Champaign are immigration, gentrification of land in the North End, and privatization of higher education.

The brief history described above would be both an eye opener for 3-5 grade students and a fascinating local segue into the national Civil Rights Movement. Past local events acting as a bridge to past national events could make the studying of the Civil Rights Movement easier for students to navigate, to comprehend, and to personally connect.