James Lee Purnell Jr. facts for kids
James Lee Purnell Jr. (born July 26, 1937) is a retired American politician and social activist. He is famous for being the first African-American person elected to public office in Worcester County, Maryland. Before his election, he was a key person, along with the ACLU and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in a lawsuit about voting rights. This lawsuit aimed to stop a voting system called "at-large voting" and create a voting district where minority groups would have a stronger voice. At that time, Purnell was the President of the NAACP branch in Worcester County.
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Early Life and Learning
James Lee Purnell Jr. was born on July 26, 1937, in Berlin, Maryland. He grew up in a part of town called Briddeltown, where many black families lived. His parents were Hulda McCray Purnell and James Lee Purnell Sr., who worked at a mill and was a dairy farmer. James Jr. was the oldest of his parents' eight children.
Every day, before walking a mile to his school, he helped milk 17 cows and deliver fresh milk with his father. The schools he attended were only for black students. They often received old, used books from white schools. These books were sometimes torn, marked up, or had missing pages. Even with these challenges, James Jr. had good grades until seventh grade.
Berlin was a segregated town, meaning white and black people lived in separate areas. Black people who went to the main part of town had a special parking spot and only one restroom, which was often dirty. James Jr. learned early about unfairness. Once, a policeman hit his younger sister. His father stood up for them and made sure the officer lost his job. This taught James Jr. an important lesson about fighting for what is right.
In 1953, James Jr. got a job at Sunshine Laundry, becoming their first black employee. He worked there until he graduated from Worcester High School in 1955. Later, he became a long-distance truck driver. In 1971, he started a successful business installing draperies with his wife, Clemeth Hardy. He also became a bus contractor for Worcester County Public Schools in 1976, a job he still holds.
Fighting for Change
James Purnell was a strong voice for social justice. In 1981, he and other black community members, along with the Worcester County NAACP, asked county officials to close a landfill. This landfill was behind his parents' home and caused a terrible smell in Briddeltown. The county first refused, but after the Maryland Board of Health got involved, the landfill closed almost four years later. Because the landfill had polluted their well water, black residents also gained access to the county's clean water system.
In 1986, Purnell became President of the Worcester County NAACP. He led a march along the Ocean City Boardwalk to highlight that black people had few good jobs in the resort town. They also wanted to see black families in tourism advertisements.
As NAACP president, Purnell began to challenge unfair voting practices in the county. Before this, only three African-Americans had ever run for County Commissioner, and all had lost. Purnell and the ACLU filed a lawsuit in 1992. They argued that "at-large voting" (where everyone votes for all candidates, instead of for candidates in specific districts) was unfair to black voters.
After many appeals, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case. On June 16, 1995, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Worcester County to stop using at-large voting. They had to create a new voting district where minority groups would be the majority. This was the only such district on Maryland's Eastern Shore at the time. The county also had to hold elections in November. The lawsuit had kept the county polls closed in 1994. The county spent a lot of money, $800,000, trying to keep the old system. They also had to pay the ACLU's legal team $400,000.
With a deadline to become a candidate approaching, no other African-Americans stepped forward to run in the new District 3. So, on June 23, 1995, Purnell resigned as NAACP President and announced he would run for County Commissioner.
The 1995 Election Victory
The election for the 5-member Board of Commissioners in Worcester County was held on November 7, 1995. James Purnell won by a small margin against the Republican leader, Floyd Bassett. His victory was historic: he became the first African-American person elected to public office in Worcester County's 253-year history. Purnell said that day was both the "proudest and saddest" of his life because his father was not alive to see it. He officially took office on December 3, 1995.
A Long-Serving Commissioner
James Purnell served as County Commissioner for five terms, until he retired in 2014. During his time in office, his fellow Commissioners chose him as their vice-president from 1995 to 2005, and again from 2010 to 2012. He was also the commission's president from 2005 to 2008.
While in office, Purnell worked to improve how the county hired people. He pushed for more diversity among county employees. When the Worcester County School Board asked for his support for their yearly budget, he refused until they agreed to hire more African-American teachers. As a result, 17 new teachers were hired that first year.
Groups and Memberships
- Member, Worcester County, Maryland Board of County Commissioners (1995-2014)
- Vice-president (1995–2005, 2010–2012)
- President (2005–2008)
- Member, NAACP of Worcester County, Maryland (President 1986–1995, Vice President)
- Member, NAACP of Maryland (Vice-president 1992–1995)
- Member, Worcester County Board of Health (1994-2014)
- Member, Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore (2006-2014)
- Member, St. Paul United Methodist Church of Berlin, MD (1957–present)
- 32 degree Prince Hall Freemason and member of the Order of the Eastern Star
- Founder, annual Martin Luther King Jr. banquet (1985)
Awards and Recognition
- Citizenship Award (2015) from the Tri-County Council of the Lower Eastern Shore
- Inducted (2016) into the Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame
