James Cameron (activist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Cameron
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| Born | February 15, 1914 La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States
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| Died | June 11, 2006 (aged 92) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
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| Occupation | Political activist |
| Years active | 1940–2006 |
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Notable work
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Founding America's Black Holocaust Museum |
| Spouse(s) |
Virginia Hamiliton
(m. 1938) |
| Children | 5 |
James Cameron (born February 25, 1914 – died June 11, 2006) was an American activist who worked for civil rights. He spent his life fighting for fairness and equality for all people.
In the 1940s, he started three local groups of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Indiana. He also worked for the state of Indiana, helping to protect people's civil liberties. Later, in 1988, he founded America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This museum teaches about African-American history, from the time of slavery to today.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James Cameron was born on February 25, 1914, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His parents were James Herbert Cameron and Vera Carter. After his father left, James and his mother moved to Birmingham, Alabama, and then to Marion, Indiana. When James was 14, his mother got married again.
Career and Activism
Cameron studied at Wayne State University to become a boiler engineer. He worked in this job until he was 65 years old. At the same time, he kept learning about unfair treatment and civil rights in America. He also tried to teach others about these important topics.
Because of his own experiences, James Cameron decided to dedicate his life to civil rights. He worked to promote racial unity and equality. In the 1940s, while working in Indiana, he started three chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This was a time when the Ku Klux Klan, a group known for racial hatred, was still active in the Midwest. Cameron became the first president of the NAACP chapter in Madison County, located in Anderson, Indiana.
He also served as the Indiana State Director of Civil Liberties from 1942 to 1950. In this role, Cameron reported to Governor Henry Schricker about violations of "equal accommodations" laws. These laws were made to end segregation, which meant keeping people of different races separate. During his eight years, Cameron investigated more than 25 cases where civil rights were violated. He faced danger and threats because of his important work.
Fighting for Civil Rights
By the early 1950s, the threats he received made Cameron want to find a safer home for his wife and five children. They planned to move to Canada, but decided on Milwaukee when he found a job there. In Milwaukee, Cameron continued his civil rights work. He helped with protests to end segregated housing in the city.
He also took part in two big marches in Washington D.C. in the 1960s. These were the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the 1968 Solidarity Day.
Cameron taught himself a lot about history. He gave talks about the experiences of African Americans. From 1955 to 1989, he wrote many articles and small books. These works described civil rights issues and unfair racial events. Some of his writings included "What is Equality in American Life?" and "The Second Civil Rights Bill." In 1982, he published his own story, called A Time of Terror: A Survivor's Story.
America's Black Holocaust Museum
After visiting the Yad Vashem memorial in Israel with his wife, Cameron was inspired. He founded America's Black Holocaust Museum in 1988. He used items he had collected to show the struggles of African Americans in the United States. This included the history of slavery, terrible acts of violence like lynchings, and the civil rights movement of the 20th century. When he first started collecting these materials, he kept them in his basement. He worked with others to get support for the museum and was helped by a generous person named Daniel Bader.
The museum started as a community effort and grew to be one of the largest African-American museums in the country. In 2008, the museum closed because of money problems. It reopened on Cameron's birthday, February 25, 2012, as an online museum. It then reopened as a physical museum on February 25, 2022.
Personal Life
James Cameron and his wife, Virginia Hamilton, had five children. He passed away on June 11, 2006, at 92 years old, from heart failure. He was a very religious Catholic. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee. Two of his sons, David and James, had passed away before him. He was survived by his wife Virginia, three children (Virgil, Walter, and Dolores Cameron), and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Legacy and Honors
- PBS Wisconsin made a documentary film called A Lynching in Marion.
- The city of Marion, Indiana gave Cameron a special key to the city.
- Cameron was interviewed by the BBC, and by television stations in the Netherlands and Germany.
- In 1999, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee gave Cameron an honorary doctorate degree.
- Milwaukee named four blocks of West North Avenue after him.
Published Works
- Cameron, James. A Time of Terror: A Survivor’s Story, self-published, 1982; reprinted Black Classics Press, 1994.
See also
In Spanish: James Cameron (activista) para niños
