NAACP Centennial Celebration - New York, NY
May 29, 2007
The members, officers and associates of the NAACP extend their sincerest sympathy to the family of Parren J. Mitchell, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a champion of civil rights. He died yesterday at Greater Baltimore Medical Center following a bout with pneumonia. He was 85.
“Parren Mitchell is one of the giants whose shoulders we stand upon today,” said NAACP Interim President & CEO Dennis Courtland Hayes. “He was one of the most effective leaders in terms of recognizing the importance that an economic agenda would have on civil rights. He did a great service to the black community in creating and expanding economic rights and opportunity. The programs he fostered enhanced the ability of African Americans to produce jobs for their community and constituents.”
Mitchell’s involvement in the NAACP ran deep. Parren is the brother of the late Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., who formerly headed the NAACP's Washington office and was one of Lyndon Johnson's chief advisors in the civil rights movement.
“He is to be credited as one of the architects of the 1964 Civil Rights Act,” said NAACP Washington Bureau Director Hilary Shelton. “Parren Mitchell, working on the inside of Congress with his brother Clarence, were the two that provided equal protection under law for all Americans.”
Parren Mitchell's sister-in-law, Juanita Jackson Mitchell, was the first youth director for the NAACP and was the first black woman licensed to practice law in Maryland.
Mitchell was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Baltimore in 1970 and was Maryland's first African American congressman. He served eight terms concluding his Congressional career in 1987.
While in Congress, Mitchell fought for legislation requiring local governments to set aside 10 percent of federal grants to hire minority contractors. His amendment to the 1982 Surface Transportation Assistance Act also required 10 percent set aside for minorities.
In 1980, Mitchell founded the Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund and served as its chairman of the board.
Mitchell was born in Baltimore, served as an officer in the 92nd Infantry Division during World War II, ultimately receiving the Purple Heart for his wounds. His bachelor's degree was earned at Morgan State University and his master's degree from the University of Maryland College Park. He had to sue the then segregated University of Maryland for admission to the graduate school, and won.
Parren Mitchell also served in the administration of three Baltimore mayors. In1986 he also ran for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Stephen H. Sachs. The Sachs ticket lost in the primary to then-Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer.
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
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