Willie James
Encyclopedia
Reverend Willie R. James, Sr. served as an important early civil rights activist in New Jersey starting in late 1950s and helped to end housing discrimination in that state. James later became head of the Burlington County
Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
and remained active in social issues including fighting poverty, job discrimination and ending the death penalty.
Willie James was born in Vidalia, Louisiana
in 1920. He attended Southern University
in Baton Rouge
and was drafted in the army in 1941. He served as an officer in the Criminal Investigation Unit. He was transferred to Fort Dix in 1946. While living in New Jersey, he met his future wife Bernice.
James’s foray into the Civil Rights Movement happened by coincidence starting in the late ‘50s. In 1958, Levitt and Sons
started selling homes for their new Levittown project in South Jersey (in what would later become Willingboro Township
). When homes for the new Levittown were first being sold, Levitt and Sons
had a policy to not sell homes to African-Americans. James however attempted to apply for a Levittown home. In his lawsuit against Levitt and Sons
, James stated that on June 29, 1958 an agent of that company told him that the new Levittown development would be an all-white community. Segregation in housing was taken for granted in the late ‘50s throughout America. Racial disturbance broke out in Levittown, Pennsylvania
when a white family resold their home to African-Americans. However, James was informed by a friend employed at the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights that it was illegal in New Jersey to discriminate in federally-subsidized housing. Levittown was receiving mortgage insurance from the Federal Housing Administration
. But as of 1958, the law had not been tested.
James sued Levitt and Sons. His suit was tied with another man named Franklin Todd, who was suing Green Fields Farms for housing discrimination against African-Americans as well. James also received help from the NAACP
, the League of Women Voters
, local Quaker
groups and other organizations. James was represented by civil rights attorney, Emerson L. Darnell, who was himself a Quaker. The case received large media attention, because the new Levittown was a model for modern suburbia. The case went as far as the New Jersey Supreme Court which upheld lower court rulings in favor of James. Levitt attempted to have the case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court
, but his request was denied. One of the stipulations in the 1960 settlement was that James’ home had to be sold to him at the 1958 price. James was not the first African-American to move into Willingboro however. Charles and Vera Williams were the first African-American family to move in 1960 due to the outcome of James’ suit against Levitt. James eventually moved into Millbrook Park in 1960 and raised four children there. He would eventually have four sons and three daughters. James later recalled that he moved into his new home on a weekday and that it went smoothly with white neighbors helping him set up curtains.
Following the court case, Levitt
prepared an extensive integration policy. Levitt set up an integration committee headed by Howard Lett, an African American. Lett created a five-point program. In order to make a smoother transition, it included the announcement of Levitt’s decision to desegregate housing to be made by community leaders. Lett also recommended an attempt to discourage anti-integration activities known as “Operation Hothead”.
Another of Lett’s ideas was to create a Human Relations Council to oversee possible disputes in the community. James would later serve as a member of that committee. One incident the Council investigated were charges of blockbusting
made against several local real estate agents. These agents were accused of intimidating white homeowners with claims that their neighborhood was becoming increasingly African-American and home values could decline. While the Council could not prove these claims, it did outline recommendations to help foster better relations between the diverse populations.
After his momentous victory against Levitt, James became head of the Burlington County
Chapter of the NAACP
. He headed the NAACP Branch from 1963 to 1974 and remained active in the local Civil Rights Movement. James would clash with Levitt again in 1963 when he and the Congress of Racial Equality
staged a demonstration against the developer for refusing to sell homes to African-Americans in Prince George’s County, Maryland
. James’ wife Bernice organized a sit-in
with the NAACP in 1966 to desegregate a local recreation area known as Holiday Lake. After retiring from the Army, James became the Director of Equal Employment Operations with IT&T
in Paramus, New Jersey
. Despite the commute, James kept up his community involvement. He was active in the Kinsmen, an African-American male civic organization based in Willingboro
. Working with the NAACP, he conducted a survey of Willingboro Plaza, the town’s modern shopping development on Route 130
, and found that no African-Americans were employed at the plaza. After negotiations with store owners, several African-Americans were soon employed there. James also filed a complaint against the U.S. Pipe Company in Burlington, New Jersey
for maintaining separate shower facilities for African-Americans and failing to hire and promote Blacks. In the 1960s, James also helped to found the Burlington County
Community Action Program to help needy residents of the County.
James was transferred by ITT
to Providence, Rhode Island
in 1974. While living in Rhode Island
, he became an ordained minister. He moved back to New Jersey
in 1996 and once again became a community activist returning in 1999 to his former position as head of the County’s NAACP
Branch. He presented a resolution to then-New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman
asking her to appoint a special commission to study why a majority of inmates in state prisons were minorities and to place a moratorium on the death penalty in New Jersey. The Governor denied both of those requests. Rev. James also brought the problem of minority incarceration to the attention of the National NAACP Convention. Trying to reduce the minority population in prison became known as the National Project.
In 2001, Willingboro Township
renamed the school in Pennypacker Park to W.R. James, Sr. Elementary School in his honor. He continues to reside in New Jersey
.
Burlington County, New Jersey
There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...
Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
and remained active in social issues including fighting poverty, job discrimination and ending the death penalty.
Willie James was born in Vidalia, Louisiana
Vidalia, Louisiana
Vidalia is a city in and the parish seat of Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,543 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Vidalia is located at and has an elevation of ....
in 1920. He attended Southern University
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge campus is located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section...
in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
and was drafted in the army in 1941. He served as an officer in the Criminal Investigation Unit. He was transferred to Fort Dix in 1946. While living in New Jersey, he met his future wife Bernice.
James’s foray into the Civil Rights Movement happened by coincidence starting in the late ‘50s. In 1958, Levitt and Sons
William Levitt
William Jaird Levitt was an American real-estate developer widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia. He came to symbolize the new suburban growth with his use of mass-production techniques to construct large developments of houses selling for under $10,000...
started selling homes for their new Levittown project in South Jersey (in what would later become Willingboro Township
Willingboro Township, New Jersey
Willingboro is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 31,629....
). When homes for the new Levittown were first being sold, Levitt and Sons
William Levitt
William Jaird Levitt was an American real-estate developer widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia. He came to symbolize the new suburban growth with his use of mass-production techniques to construct large developments of houses selling for under $10,000...
had a policy to not sell homes to African-Americans. James however attempted to apply for a Levittown home. In his lawsuit against Levitt and Sons
William Levitt
William Jaird Levitt was an American real-estate developer widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia. He came to symbolize the new suburban growth with his use of mass-production techniques to construct large developments of houses selling for under $10,000...
, James stated that on June 29, 1958 an agent of that company told him that the new Levittown development would be an all-white community. Segregation in housing was taken for granted in the late ‘50s throughout America. Racial disturbance broke out in Levittown, Pennsylvania
Levittown, Pennsylvania
Levittown is a census-designated place and planned community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population was 52,983 at the 2010 census. It is above sea level...
when a white family resold their home to African-Americans. However, James was informed by a friend employed at the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights that it was illegal in New Jersey to discriminate in federally-subsidized housing. Levittown was receiving mortgage insurance from the Federal Housing Administration
Federal Housing Administration
The Federal Housing Administration is a United States government agency created as part of the National Housing Act of 1934. It insured loans made by banks and other private lenders for home building and home buying...
. But as of 1958, the law had not been tested.
James sued Levitt and Sons. His suit was tied with another man named Franklin Todd, who was suing Green Fields Farms for housing discrimination against African-Americans as well. James also received help from the NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
, the League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
, local Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
groups and other organizations. James was represented by civil rights attorney, Emerson L. Darnell, who was himself a Quaker. The case received large media attention, because the new Levittown was a model for modern suburbia. The case went as far as the New Jersey Supreme Court which upheld lower court rulings in favor of James. Levitt attempted to have the case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, but his request was denied. One of the stipulations in the 1960 settlement was that James’ home had to be sold to him at the 1958 price. James was not the first African-American to move into Willingboro however. Charles and Vera Williams were the first African-American family to move in 1960 due to the outcome of James’ suit against Levitt. James eventually moved into Millbrook Park in 1960 and raised four children there. He would eventually have four sons and three daughters. James later recalled that he moved into his new home on a weekday and that it went smoothly with white neighbors helping him set up curtains.
Following the court case, Levitt
William Levitt
William Jaird Levitt was an American real-estate developer widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia. He came to symbolize the new suburban growth with his use of mass-production techniques to construct large developments of houses selling for under $10,000...
prepared an extensive integration policy. Levitt set up an integration committee headed by Howard Lett, an African American. Lett created a five-point program. In order to make a smoother transition, it included the announcement of Levitt’s decision to desegregate housing to be made by community leaders. Lett also recommended an attempt to discourage anti-integration activities known as “Operation Hothead”.
Another of Lett’s ideas was to create a Human Relations Council to oversee possible disputes in the community. James would later serve as a member of that committee. One incident the Council investigated were charges of blockbusting
Blockbusting
Blockbusting is a business practice of U.S. real estate agents and building developers meant to encourage white property owners to sell their houses at a loss, by implying that racial, ethnic, or religious minorities — Blacks, Hispanics, Jews et al. — were moving into their previously racially...
made against several local real estate agents. These agents were accused of intimidating white homeowners with claims that their neighborhood was becoming increasingly African-American and home values could decline. While the Council could not prove these claims, it did outline recommendations to help foster better relations between the diverse populations.
After his momentous victory against Levitt, James became head of the Burlington County
Burlington County, New Jersey
There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...
Chapter of the NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
. He headed the NAACP Branch from 1963 to 1974 and remained active in the local Civil Rights Movement. James would clash with Levitt again in 1963 when he and the Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
staged a demonstration against the developer for refusing to sell homes to African-Americans in Prince George’s County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. James’ wife Bernice organized a sit-in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
with the NAACP in 1966 to desegregate a local recreation area known as Holiday Lake. After retiring from the Army, James became the Director of Equal Employment Operations with IT&T
ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
in Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,342. A suburb of New York City, Paramus is located between 15–20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately west of Upper Manhattan.Paramus is one of...
. Despite the commute, James kept up his community involvement. He was active in the Kinsmen, an African-American male civic organization based in Willingboro
Willingboro Township, New Jersey
Willingboro is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 31,629....
. Working with the NAACP, he conducted a survey of Willingboro Plaza, the town’s modern shopping development on Route 130
U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130 is a north–south U.S. Highway completely within the state of New Jersey. It runs from Interstate 295 and US 40 at Deepwater in Pennsville Township, Salem County, where the road continues east as Route 49, north to US 1 in North Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, where...
, and found that no African-Americans were employed at the plaza. After negotiations with store owners, several African-Americans were soon employed there. James also filed a complaint against the U.S. Pipe Company in Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....
for maintaining separate shower facilities for African-Americans and failing to hire and promote Blacks. In the 1960s, James also helped to found the Burlington County
Burlington County, New Jersey
There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...
Community Action Program to help needy residents of the County.
James was transferred by ITT
ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
to Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
in 1974. While living in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, he became an ordained minister. He moved back to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in 1996 and once again became a community activist returning in 1999 to his former position as head of the County’s NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
Branch. He presented a resolution to then-New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman
Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...
asking her to appoint a special commission to study why a majority of inmates in state prisons were minorities and to place a moratorium on the death penalty in New Jersey. The Governor denied both of those requests. Rev. James also brought the problem of minority incarceration to the attention of the National NAACP Convention. Trying to reduce the minority population in prison became known as the National Project.
In 2001, Willingboro Township
Willingboro Township, New Jersey
Willingboro is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 31,629....
renamed the school in Pennypacker Park to W.R. James, Sr. Elementary School in his honor. He continues to reside in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.