Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
THE HISTORY OF THE WEST CHESTER, PA BRANCH OF THE NAACP
Since its inception, the NAACP has committed to ensuring the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights for all persons and to eliminating race-based discrimination, through
various programs such as legal defense, educational outreach, and community initiatives such as health care and housing forums.
In the spring of 1919...
a decade after the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on April 5th, a group of 88 men and women gathered in West Chester, Pennsylvania for the purpose of establishing a local branch. (NAACP).
As World War I came to an end one of the branch's first priority was to form a committee, to meet and interview local political leaders, to advocate that returning veterans "be remembered when patronage was to be distributed."
The West Chester branch has a rich history & relationship with the West Chester Community Center, founded 1917–1918 . On August 14, 2004, the center was renamed the Charles A. Melton Arts and Education Center to honor the former director. On November 15, 2025 the center changed its name back to the West Chester Community Center but the building itself remains dedicated to Charles A. Melton.
To this day the branch continues to strive to dismantle systemic barriers and pave the way for a more equitable society.
