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James Andrew Felton

Born: July 6, 1919

Died: October 6, 1994, Winton, North Carolina

Place of burial: First Baptist Church Winton, Winton, North Carolina

Education: Masters of Arts Degree in Administration and Supervision of Education and Principalship (1951), Elizabeth City State University (1945-1946), Hampton Institute (1940?-1943?)

Awards: National Council Certified Family Life-Educator-CFLE (1988), North Carolina Family Life Council Distinguished Service Award (1985),  Hertford County Chapter NAACP Award for Meritorious Services (1967), Special Citation for work with NEA Local, State and National (1964)

Parents: Eugene Felton, Virgilla Skinner Felton

Siblings: George Washington Felton, Geraldine Felton Brookfield, Albert Wallace Felton, Jean Felton Anderson

Children: Maria Andrea, James Andrew, Jr., Sharon Jane, Keith Eugene, Phennis Michele and Camilla Yvonne James Andrew Felton (July 6, 1919 - October 6, 1994) was an American Baptist minister, author, educator, civil rights leader, Montford Point Marine and social justice activist from 1943 until 1993. He was best known for community organizing and leadership in the Black Belt of North Carolina for people of color. During the late 1960's Felton worked with members of the African American and European American communities to overcome segregated schools and facilities, unemployment, voter registration and education, dilapidated housing, lack of water infrastructure and recreational facilities for youth.

He was the co-founder of Peoples' Program on Poverty, a grassroots and community action program (CAP), that advocated civil rights in every aspect of the African American communities of Bertie, Halifax, Hertford and Northampton counties. Two of the counties were listed among the poorest counties in the state of North Carolina and the nation. The African American population in the four counties included fifty-percent or more of the overall population. Nonetheless, they had zero representation in decision making policies, on county boards and in political roles. Overtime, Felton and others were able to overcome a few of the barriers that overwhelming denied most African Americans of the rights, freedoms and basic citizenship the nation provided within the Constitution of the United States.

Early years

James Andrew Felton was born on July 6, 1919, to Eugene and Virgilla Felton (nee Skinner), on the "Old Harrell Plantation" in Hertford, Perquimans County, North Carolina, during Red Summer. He attended early education at the Bethel Rosenwald School in Hertford for African American children. It was one of the more than 5000 schools and educational facilities built in the South to educate African Americans with Rosenwald Funds. North Carolina hailed the most Rosenwald Schools with more than 800 throughout the state. Education was a priority in Felton's home life along with daily family chores and religious and spiritual guidance. He was required to walk to the Bethel Rosenwald School that was situated near New Bethel Baptist Church, where his family were faithful members. He graduated from the segregated Hertford High School. As a student he enjoyed participating on the school's debate team. However, because he was slower than other students when communicating facts and thoughts, Felton was not a competitive member of the team. Also, he served the county and earned a small sum money as a school bus driver. Throughout his young years, he worked diligently on his parents' farm by tilling the land, feeding the livestock and helped older brother George Washington harvest the crops. Farm life was hard and arduous. Although, it had a profound influence on Felton that would prepare him for life and impact his vision in later years for migrant workers.

Felton was self-motivated, admired and respected his instructors. He envisioned what he could become one day. After graduating from high school, Felton and a fellow classmate spent the summer in the sweltering heat working along side migrant workers on vegetable farms. Along the Atlantic Coast Seaboard from Elizabeth City, North Carolina to the Virginia and Maryland eastern shores, they lived in makeshift camps, barns, and warehouses in an attempt to secure funds to enter college. Once the crops were harvested, Felton found himself returning home to labor in the lumber camps of the Great Dismal Swamp.

He did manage to earn enough money for his entrance fee to Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). Also, Felton secured funds through a student work study program to help pay for tuition. Although, in the end this was not enough for him to obtain a degree from the institution. Due to financial constraints, he was unable to complete enough college credits to obtain his degree. Leaving him once again with no recourse but to return home.

Now was the time for a temporary turn into another direction. President Franklin Roosevelt sounded the call to arms for new African American Marine recruits to join the United States Marine Corps. Felton answered the call. Hampton Institute had successfully trained Felton in knowledge and philosophy. However, it was at Montford Point that he learned the toughest skills for survival that prepared him for the next fight on his journey.

Military Service

It was June 25, 1941, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 that ended discrimination within the United States defense industry. The executive order ushered in African American men between the ages of 19 and 29 into the United States Marine Corps. With one caveat, the men would not train at Pariss Island, South Carolina nor San Diego, California where the European American recruits were trained and stationed. These new recruits of color were trained at Montford Point, a camp being set-up to accommodate them along side the New River, near Jacksonville, North Carolina, in Onslow County. The camp was adjacent to the newly constructed Marine Barracks New River (now known as Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in honor of Major General John A. Lejeune). Montford Point was separate and unequal.

At the age of twenty-three, just four months shy of his twenty-fourth birthday, Felton enlisted into the United States Marine Corps on March 6, 1943. The conditions were deplorable. The swampland was infested with mosquitoes and snakes not to mention the racism faced by him and the other Marines. He was trained under Sergeant Major Edgar R. Huff, who one of the first African American Sergeant Majors in the United States Marine Corps. Felton was selected to train as a drill instructor. He recalled the "51st Black Unit" firing ratings at the time broke the Marine Corps record in rapid firing test. Although he was not deployed to the foreign theater, Felton trained Marines who were. He completed his service and was discharged on December 14, 1945, after patrolling the streets of Philadelphia.

College education

While Felton was in the Marine Corps, Congress passed and President Roosevelt signed into law the GI Bill on June 22, 1944. The GI Bill provided many benefits to World War II veterans which included education to college or vocational school tuition free up to $500 while also receiving a cost of living stipend. With this new law and Elizabeth City being just sixteen miles from Hertford, Felton was able to enroll at the Elizabeth City State Teachers College (now Elizabeth City State University) with the college credits earned at Hampton Institute. Felton did his part on the farm and the stipend helped his family financially. Many a day he still "thumbed" his way along the roadside to attend college classes. Somedays, his father would allow him to take the old truck. In 1946 Felton completed his Bachelor of Science Degree at the college. In 1951, he received a Masters of Arts Degree in Administration and Supervision of Education and principalship certification requirements from North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina. Through faith, hard work and perseverance, Felton had finally overcome and fulfilled one his lifelong dreams.

Through the years his quest for education continued as he studied at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina; A & T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina and Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina. Then in 1988, Felton was awarded a new degree, CFLE (Certification of Family Life Educator) by the National Council of Family Relations because of his extensive work with families throughout the state and nation.

Teaching Career

Felton became a teacher and principal at two Rosenwald Schools, Zachariah Rosenwald School on the outskirts of Snow Hill, North Carolina (Greene County) and Mill Neck Rosenwald School in a community near Como, North Carolina (Hertford County). Ironically, these schools represented similar structures and philosophies of an education as the one he attended as a young boy. Later, he taught at Riverview School in Murfreesboro, North Carolina (Hertford County).

In the course of his learning and teaching experiences, Felton observed the annual routine of African American students receiving used textbooks from their European American counterparts, while they were issued new textbooks. African Americans were paying taxes but lacked representation on the local school board and received insufficient resources at their schools, when European American enjoyed better schools, school equipment, buses and pay. In essence, it was "taxation without representation". Everything was used and worn. Felton possessed genuine nurturing skills and could envisioned himself sitting in those classroom chairs a few years ago with great hope. At this pivotal point in his life (married with six children), Felton decided to retire from the classroom and fight the root cause of these disparities, in two words “discrimination and racism”.

Before exiting the classroom, Felton left his mark on public education. In addition to general classroom responsibilities, he chaired groups within the North Carolina Teachers Association (the African American teachers state educational organization). Felton became chairman and program director of the Grammar Grade Division. His goal was to unite the North Carolina Teachers Association with the North Carolina Education Association (the state's European American teachers educational organization). Felton thought the unification of the two groups would ensure instructional equality and provide a clear example of what people could accomplish by working together. To achieve this goal, Felton drafted the first “Merger Plan” for the two organizations and presented it at an annual meeting of the North Carolina Teachers Association being held in Raleigh, North Carolina, at Memorial Auditorium. While there was resistance to Felton's plan, the merger would finally occur in 1970. It was just three years after Felton left the classroom and the same year North Carolina fully desegregated its public school system.

Civil Rights Activism The year was 1967. Felton had witnessed from childhood the desperate plight and challenges of African American people with poor housing, no jobs, bad living conditions, poor health conditions, the freedom marches, sit-ins and the great press for freedom and equality. For this reason, he retired from his teaching position at Riverview School to be freer to do more within the field working closely among people, creating program development, counseling parents and youth, assisting with finding jobs, improving housing, seeking resources for legal problems and improving representation through voter education and registration.

As a result, Peoples' Program on Poverty was founded.

Religious education, ministry

Death Felton died on October 6, 1919 at his home in Winton, North Carolina.

Personal life Felton married Annie Vaughan Felton on August 3, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Honors

Legacy

Published works Fruits of Enduring Faith

Notes

References

Further reading

External links