NAACP chapter celebrates national group’s centennial w/ Ernestine Carr and Allen Merriam Community Conversation interview

By Susan Redden

sredden@joplinglobe.com

When the word “colored” was used years ago, it most often came in conjunction with one of two words — “colored only,” identifying segregated drinking fountains and restrooms, or “no colored,” meaning restaurants, movie theaters and other places from which African-Americans were banned.

Today, the Joplin chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will be celebrating a century of progress when it marks the 100th anniversary of the national civil rights organization.

The title used at the organization’s founding is still part of the name, marking both accomplishment and inclusion, members said.

Ernestine Carr, a longtime member of the Joplin NAACP, said that for her, the organization’s name “is a way to remember where we were and how far we’ve come.

“It’s a reminder. It gives us a look back as we look forward,” she said. “Also, it (NAACP) is open to people of all colors and we want equality for everyone.”

The group’s advocacy efforts aren’t limited to African-Americans, said Jim West, another member.

“We get complaints about discrimination from people of other races and we investigate and refer them for help,” he said.

The 100-year anniversary of the national group will be celebrated at a centennial dinner set for 6 p.m. today at the Continental Banquet Center, 2802 N. Range Line.

The national organization was formed in 1909 and the Joplin chapter was organized in 1943. Carr said she has been a member of the group for years, and was able to become more active in recent years, after she retired from work as a surgical technician.

She said times have changed, since she encountered prejudice in the workplace, and earlier when she was growing up in Joplin.

She said she remembers Joplin had four downtown theaters and African-Americans were allowed into only one — the D-Ray — and then required to sit in the balcony. When Carr was younger, she said black children could walk down the sidewalk and if they encountered a white youngster, might be shoved off the walkway, or called names.

“That’s the young people, but of course, that’s the way they were taught,” she said.

Carr attended segregated Lincoln High School and was happy when civil rights legislation brought integrated schools to Joplin.