3. Strain, Christopher Barry. “Civil Rights and ... - Freedom Archives

At mid-century, blacks comprised about one-quarter of Monroe's population . In
the late 1940x, most middle-class blacks living in Monroe had been either teachers or
preachers . Many belonged to the NAACP; however, the branch was still relatively small
and ineffectual, more symbolic than threatening. Local whites tolerated its limited
activities until 1954 when it came under attack . B~wn v. Board of Education . Topes,
Kansas (1954), which overturned the "separate-but-equal" precedent of Plessy v .
Ferguson (1896) and mandated school desegregation in the South, fomented stirrings for
integration throughout the country ; "massive resistance" to these stirrings by whites was
swift and severe. White Citiuns Councils joined forces with local Ku Klux Klan
affiliates to pressure the officers and members of NAACP branches into non-action .
Economic sanctions by employers, banks, and finance companies threatened to stifle
NAACP branches throughout the South; so, too, did the specter of beatings and
lynchings . The Union County NAACP, like other branches, lost members and became
inactive. In late 1955, when Williams joined, it was already in decline ; by 1956, only six
members remained.~ s
Faced with the ignominy of folding their branch, Union County NAACP officers
called a meeting to elect new leadership ; much to his surprise, they nominated Williams
for president. Along with Dr . Albert F. Penry as vice-president, Williams was elected.
After the elation, when only Penry chose to renew his membership, Williams began a
personal crusade to enroll new members . Rather than recruit professionals, to whom the
~SCohen, Black Crusader, 46, 90.
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