The 75th Anniversary of the Long Beach Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will be recognized by Mayor Robert Garcia and Councilman Dee Andrews at City Council at 5:00PM on Tuesday, November 17, the Office of Councilman Dee Andrews announced Wednesday.
“For 75 years, the Long Beach Branch of the NAACP has worked tirelessly to promote equality and inclusiveness for the residents of Long Beach,” said Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement. “The NAACP are champions of social justice who have long fought to ensure all voices are heard.”
The NAACP is recognized as one of the nation’s most significant civil rights organizations. It faced segregation and racial inequality head-on through the courts and spread awareness by committing itself to the battle for equal rights around the world.
The Long Beach branch of the NAACP was founded in 1940 by members Ernest McBride, Sr. and Zelma Lipscomb. McBride served as the first field secretary while Lipscomb, as the first woman president, was selected to represent the branch at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., according to the release.
“I am extremely proud to honor this extraordinary organization,” said Councilmember Andrews in a statement. “I had the pleasure of knowing and working with the Long Beach Branch founder, the late Mr. Ernest McBride Sr. He taught me the meaning of compassion and courage. He took the compassion that he had for his people to muster up the courage to stand up for us all so that we could walk, work, and live in any area of Long Beach of our choosing.”
The efforts of the NAACP Long Beach Branch helped successfully integrate the Long Beach Police Department, Naval Shipyard, Coles Market, General Telephone Company and contest discriminatory housing and welfare policies, according to the release.
To accompany the recognition, the Long Beach Branch of the NAACP will have a display of archives and pictures in the lobby at City Hall. For more information, call 562.570.6816 or click here.