tagged with: John Mitchell Jr.
November 1, 2008
Race Man: The Rise and Fall of the Fighting Editor John Mitchell Jr.
Ann Field Alexander’s Race Man: The Rise and Fall of the Fighting Editor John Mitchell Jr. (available from the University of Virginia Press) is a fascinating look at Richmond and especially Jackson Ward and the African-American experience at the turn of the last century as seen through the perspective of Richmond Planet publisher John Mitchell, Jr.:
Best known for his crusade against lynching in the 1880s, Mitchell was also involved in a number of civil rights crusades that seem more contemporary to the 1950s and 1960s than the turn of that century. He led a boycott against segregated streetcars in 1904 and fought residential segregation in Richmond in 1911. His political career included eight years on the Richmond city council, which ended with disenfranchisement in 1896.
September 17, 2008
Mitchell in New York (1904)
From the NY Times, Sept.17, 1904, an account of a speech by the publisher of the Richmond Planet and president of the Mechanics’ Savings Bank John Mitchell Jr.
January 12, 2008
Harry Kollatz’ True Richmond Stories
Harry Kollatz’ fantastic True Richmond Stories, a collection of 40 or so of Kollatz’ “Flashback” columns from Richmond Magazine, was released in late 2007. The stories span Richmond history from 1607 until just a few years ago, and range across the city. Among the annecdotes are a few from around Jackson Ward, including a look at John Mitchell Jr.’s boycott of Richmond’s segregated trolley system, a history of the Richmond Dairy building until 1997, and a biography of the actor Charles Sidney Gilpin.
