Belle Blue-Claxton 1872 – 1926

            Belle Blue-Claxton was born in Bloomington, IL on April 30, 1872, daughter of Richard Blue and Emily Louisa Cooper. Her father was a farm laborer for Judge James Raybern of Bloomington. He then enlisted in Company A of the 29^th United States Colored Regiment, the Connecticut Volunteers. Her father was appointed to be a musician, most likely because he was slightly disabled due to a foot injury he received while chopping wood in 1857.  Belle also had a brother named James Percival Blue and a sister named Lutie Blue Anson.

            Belle and her husband James Claxton, resided at 306 South Madison Street. James had been a Bloomington resident since 1918. Belle and James never had any children. Lucinda Posey, another well-known African American woman recalled that Belle was “a tall, stately, light-complexioned woman, always in a ‘shirtwaist’ and full skirt, her hair piled high on top her head.” She also described James as “a tall Indian-looking man.”

Belle and James were both very active in the growing movement to obtain civil rights for African Americans, which were guaranteed to African Americans by the 14^th and 15^th Amendments. James was chairman of the Colored Citizens Bureau in 1926, while Belle served as secretary. James and Belle were also members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Belle served as secretary for the local branch. The N.A.A.C.P. is a civil rights organization, still active today, that works to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination. The local chapter of N.A.A.C.P. was organized in August 1918. Belle also took the position as a delegate for the local chapter at the N.A.A.C.P. conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1919.

            As a member of the N.A.A.C.P., Belle was part of the June 1919 movement for equal rights surrounding the segregation of Miller Park lake beach. At the time, white bathers had access to the majority of the beach and even had their own changing rooms. African Americans, on the other hand, were relegated to a very small area of beach, which was usually very dirty and unsanitary. A committee that claimed to represent the African Americans of Bloomington spoke to John G. Welch, Commissioner of the Department of Public Property, declaring that as taxpayers, they had the same rights to the beach bathhouses, which was for use by whites only. Commissioner Welch’s response was that plans had been made for improving the facilities at the section of the lake designated for African Americans only.

A few days later, however, the committee led by Daniel Johnson, patrol driver at police headquarters, approached the Commissioner once more. This time, the committee said that the majority of African Americans preferred the segregation, but demanded their facilities be equal to the ones to which they were denied. Johnson said that members of the race would be better pleased with such regulations than the integration asked for by the former committee. Commissioner Welch said that the council planned to improve conditions for the African-Americans and that an African-American attendant would even be placed in charge of the bathhouse.

            In response to the Daily Pantagraph articles written about the protest, Belle wrote a letter to the editor in order to further explain the situation and to clarify the N.A.A.C.P.’s stance on the controversy. She wrote to explain that three of Bloomington’s most worthy and highly-esteemed citizens and taxpayers were part of the first committee, a “special investigative committee,” that approached the Commissioner. She went on to explain that this committee expressed the sentiments of the organization which demanded for the exercise of citizenship rights, which the law guaranteed to every citizen. Belle wrote, “We are not asking a favor of Mr. Welch; we are simply demanding our rights. We have an organization, national in scope, that stands for something, and that is justice.”

            By the end of July, the park beach was extended along the drive north of the lake and had two carloads of sand dumped onto the beach, as well as the removal of the slough grass along the lake shore and a clean scraping of the brick bottom of the entire beach. The African-Americans had their own “Negro beach,” which, according to the Daily Pantagraph, was well-patronized. Improvements included an addition of sand on the east side of the lake and several loads of gravel into the water close to the edge. The beach was headed by Charles Thomas, a former sergeant in the 170^th Infantry, the famous “Black Devils.” In another article in the Daily Pantagraph, the author of the article reported that the facilities at the African American beach were much improved and most African Americans were content with their “Jim Crow” beach, for Jim Crow laws advocated “separate but equal” public facilities for each race. Even so, there were still some groups who advocated for a beach open to permit a mingling of both the white and black races.

            While continuing to remain actively involved in civil rights, Belle was also a member of Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church. She also had an extensive professional life, contrary to the norm for an African-American woman to remain confined in the domestic realm. Belle held several positions at businesses and offices. She was a stenographer and bookkeeper for many years for S.P. Robinson, a Bloomington lawyer. She also worked for five years as secretary for General John McNulta in Chicago, and 10 years as head bookkeeper for the American Percheron Society of America.

            Belle died on July 19, 1926 following a stroke of paralysis earlier that day, similar to a stroke she had suffered three years previous. Her funeral was held at the Coleman Chapel and she was buried in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery. Belle’s husband died several years later on July 22, 1932 following a short illness. He was buried next to Belle in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.