William P. Mitchell (1912-1986) - Tuskegee, AL - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Marker text:

Following World War II, Tuskegee's black population began to grow, and many sought to register to vote. Perceiving a threat to their political power, white politicians tried to control the black vote through a variety of techniques. These actions included, but were not limited to, requiring blacks and whites to register in separate parts of the Macon County Courthouse and requiring black applicants to read and transcribe articles from the Constitution of the United States. In 1945, Veterans Administration Hospital employee and Tuskegee Civic Association activist William P. Mitchell sued the Board of Registrars for a Certificate of Registration. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama initially dismissed the case. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which subsequently remanded it to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and they ruled in favor of the registrars. When Mitchell appealed, the registrars produced documents showing that his application had been approved several years earlier. Mitchell's attempt to vote, and ultimate success, was illustrative of the voting rights struggle.

Marker Name: William P. Mitchell (1912-1986) Marker Type: Urban Addtional Information:: Erected by the City Of Tuskegee, Tuskegee University, Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. Part of the Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail. Date Dedicated / Placed: 2019 Marker Number: 8

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/13/2022 Markerman62 visited it