John Mitchell, Jr.
Photo Credit: Encyclopedia Virginia
About Richmond's Honorary Street Name Designations
Honorary street names can be found throughout Richmond, and are intended to memorialize individuals for their civic, cultural, humanitarian, or historically significant contributions to the Richmond Community. These designations typically apply to a portion of a street, such as a city block, and are designated by Richmond City Council via the passing of an Ordinance. Honorary street names do not replace the existing name of a street and do not require an alteration to maps or addresses.
John Mitchell, Jr.
Born enslaved on July 11, 1863, at the Laburnum Plantation in Richmond, John Mitchell, Jr. would rise to prominence as a newspaper editor, politician, businessman, and civil rights activist.
Following an apprenticeship with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., and a stint as a correspondent for the New York Freeman newspaper, John Mitchell, Jr. became editor of one of the nation’s oldest Black-owned newspapers, the Richmond Planet, in 1884. As editor, Mr. Mitchell utilized the Richmond Planet as a platform to promote civil rights, equality, and racial justice. In every edition, Mr. Mitchell ran a full column on the front page detailing lynchings occurring throughout the country and listing the names of lynching victims. As the Richmond Planet rose to national prominence, John Mitchell, Jr. became a key figure in the anti-lynching movement, tirelessly pushing for federal anti-lynching legislation. Mr. Mitchell also played an instrumental role in organizing the Richmond streetcar boycott of 1904 in response to discriminatory practices, one of the first such public transportation boycotts in the country.
John Mitchell, Jr. was also active in politics, serving on Richmond City Council from 1888 until 1896, as well as being elected as alderman for Jackson Ward in 1892. During his tenure with Richmond City Council, Mr. Mitchell secured funding for the construction of new schools for African Americans, and helped fund the creation of an armory in Jackson Ward for the First Battalion Virginia Volunteers, a Black militia regiment. In 1921, John Mitchell, Jr. ran for Governor of Virginia, becoming one of the first African Americans to seek that office.
John Mitchell, Jr., died on December 3, 1929, and is buried in Richmond’s historic Evergreen Cemetery.
Designation Area:
The 500 block of North Third Street, in honor of John Mitchell, Jr.
Download the Council Ordinance:
Learn more about this Honorary Street Designation by downloading a copy of the legislation. The Council Ordinance below is in PDF format:
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