On This Day In TCXPI History Lester B. Granger, Civic Leader, Educator, Social Worker, and AED of the National Urban League. Lester Blackwell Granger was a Social Worker and Civil Rights and Labor Rights Activist best known for leading the National Urban League (NUL) from 1941 to 1961. Lester B. Granger was born on September 16, 1896, in Newport News, Virginia, to William “Ran” Randolph and Mary Louise Granger; William, a Barbadian immigrant, was a medical doctor. Determined to live in a racially-tolerant community where educational opportunities were available to black people, the Grangers raised Lester and his five brothers in Newark, New Jersey. Lester Granger earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1918 after serving in the US Army as artillery lieutenant during World War I. Lester Granger introduced civil rights to the social work agenda as a national and international issue. He focused attention and advocacy energy on the goal of equal opportunity and justice for all people of color, even while focusing on the condition of black people in the United States. He is credited with leading the development of unions among black workers as well as integrating white unions. He led the integration of black workers in defense industries and the beginnings Of integration in the military services during World War II. Sources: mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_granger_lester_blackwell/ naswfoundation.org/pioneers/g/granger.htm aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/lester-granger-worked-hard-through-urban-league
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 17:56:39 +0000
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