The Early History of the NAACP in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

The Early History of the NAACP in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

By lwilliams@semourbanvoices.com - November 24, 2025

Lloyd Williams  Nov 15, 2025

In the heart of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the St. James A.M.E. Church has long stood as more than just a spiritual home — it has been a beacon of social justice, leadership, and community mobilization. It was at St. James that the local chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was first organized, laying the foundation for a century of civil rights advocacy in Southeast

St. James A.M.E. Church, founded in 1863, is one of the city’s oldest African American institutions. The congregation formally became St. James A.M.E. in 1867, and in 1875 built the brick church building that still stands today. Over the decades, St. James not only nurtured faith but also provided space for organizing, fellowship, and resistance against segregation

Birth of a Local NAACP Chapter Organizing in 1919

The year 1919 marked a turning point for Cape Girardeau’s Black civic life. Local civic groups, including a Civic League, encouraged African Americans to claim their rights and privileges of citizenship. According to archival reports, in June of that year the Civic League sought formal affiliation with the national NAACP and mobilized community members to establish a chapter.

At the founding meeting, Dr. W. H. Lawrie and Rose “R. X.” Arthur were elected as co-leaders of the new NAACP chapter—an early testament to leadership drawn from both male and female community pillars.

Picnic Day, Parade, and Public Pride

By July 1919, local Black leaders, supported by the chapter,  petitioned the city for greater access to public facilities, specifically demanding that Black citizens be allowed to use the municipal swimming pool and Fairground Park. This was a bold move in an era of deep segregation The summer of 1919 brought a public display of pride and solidarity.

In August, the NAACP chapter sponsored a Picnic Day and Parade, open to the broader community. Reports from local newspapers indicate approximately 500 people participated, including a marching band from St. Louis, members of the Masonic Lodge, the Knights of Pythias, the Black women’s chapter of the Red Cross, returning World War I veterans, and congregants from AME and Baptist churches. Parade participants carried “banners of all description,” and the day culminated with speeches, food, and hopeful optimism. For many in Cape Girardeau’s Black community, this was not just a social gathering — it was a public assertion of dignity, belonging, and collective agency.

Yet, such visibility was not universally welcomed. While the event made a powerful impression among Black residents, there were undercurrents of unease in the majority population, highlighting how visibly asserting Black citizenship could provoke discomfort in the segregated South.

By organizing in 1919, pressing the city for access to public amenities, and boldly celebrating Black identity, Cape Girardeau’s early NAACP members laid a foundation for future generations.