Littleton Mitchell of Delaware City was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He was best known as the 30-year outspoken president of the state NAACP (1961-1991) and he established a reputation as a ferocious fighter for civil rights in Delaware, which included the areas of housing, public accommodations, education, and voting rights. Mitchell died tragically in a car accident near the then Valero Refinery in 2009. Then-Vice President Joe Biden said of his passing, “Lit Mitchell was a man of incredible strength and courage; he was a hero to many, including me. A man who overcame so much to fight for his country in countless ways – serving as a Tuskegee Airman in World War II, leading the civil rights movement in Delaware, and helping integrate schools nationwide – Lit was a remarkable force.”
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We Celebrate: Jim Sills
Jim Sills became the first African American to serve as Mayor for the city of Wilmington in 1992. Prior to that, Sills taught at the University of Delaware from 1972 to 1977. He was founding director of the Urban Agent Program and in 1987 he founded the Delaware...
WE Celebrate: Delaware City’s African American Police Chiefs
Charles “Chuck” Griffin was Delaware’s first Black police Chief. In 1971 he was hired to lead the police force in Delaware City. At the time, the position was part-time, 8 p.m.-4 a.m. weekdays and 4 p.m. to midnight on weekends. News accounts show he put in 40-50...
WE Honor – Lisa Blunt Rochester
In 2016 Lisa Blunt Rochester made history when she became the first person of color to represent Delaware in Congress. She began her professional career as a problem-solver and an advocate. A caseworker for then-Congressman Tom Carper, Lisa helped people during...