2LT Littleton Purnell Mitchell
Nov 26, 1918 – July 6, 2009
From: Milford, Kent County, Delaware, USA
Littleton Purnell Mitchell, known as “Lit,” was born on November 27, 1918, in Milford, Delaware. He attended the Milford Colored School until eighth grade and then attended Howard High School in Wilmington, the only secondary school in the state of Delaware open to African-American students at the time. Mitchell graduated from Howard in 1939 and was admitted to West Chester State Teachers College of Pennsylvania (now West Chester University) on a track scholarship.
After two years in college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp and was stationed in Tuskegee, Alabama, as a member of the celebrated “Tuskegee Airmen” during World War II. While at Tuskegee Army Air Base, he served as an instructor for instrument simulator training. Mitchell, like other African-Americans in the armed forces, was subject to severe discrimination while at Tuskegee.
When he was discharged from the Army in February 1946, Littleton returned to West Chester State Teachers College and continued coursework. He graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. He later continued his formal education at the University of Delaware and Temple University, concentrating in Special Education.
Mitchell remained a reserve officer in the U.S. Army, and graduated from the Athletic Directors’ School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the Special Service Officer’s School, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, in 1950 and 1951 respectively.
When the Governor Bacon Health Center was opened in Delaware City in 1948, Littleton Mitchell was hired as an instructor, where he would become the first African-American in Delaware to teach white students. Mitchell would spend his entire career, until his retirement in 1984, as a teacher and counselor for emotionally troubled youth at the Governor Bacon Health Center.
Mitchell was active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from a young age, joining the Milford and Wilmington branches of the NAACP. In 1961, Mitchell became president of the Delaware State Branches of the NAACP, and led the organization for over thirty years, until 1991. During his time as president, he directed efforts to ensure equal rights for African-Americans in the state, addressing issues of fair housing, school desegregation, voting rights, as well as educational and employment discrimination. Mitchell also was a fierce advocate for the rights of migrant workers in the state, who often lived amid squalid conditions.
Littleton Mitchell was heavily involved with many community, state, and national organizations such as the New Castle Progressive Club, Delaware Alliance Federal Credit Union, and Delaware Humanities Forum. From 2002-2004 he served on the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Commission as a presidential appointee representing Delaware. Mitchell also had an important role in state government, serving as part of the Governor of Delaware’s Advisory Council on Affirmative Action and as a member of the New Castle County Executive’s Transition team. Because of his involvement in state organizations, he had personal and professional relationships with many influential Delaware politicians.
Throughout his life, Mitchell received numerous awards and citations recognizing his service as a civil rights activist, educator, military veteran, and distinguished citizen. He also frequently visited Delaware schools and spoke to students about the Civil Rights movement, his own experiences with racism, and his time with the Tuskegee Airmen.
