United Political Action Committee of Chester County (Chester County, Pa.)

In 1966, several black civil rights workers decided to form a small organization whose purpose was to end racial discrimination in Chester County So began the United Political Action Committee of Chester County. The founders included Charles A. Melton, Charles H. Butler, Norman W. Bond, Robert L. Wright, Willie Stokes, James Ward, Alston B. Meade, W.T.M. Johnson, Ernest Spriggs and Charles V. Hamilton. Charles A. Melton was the first president and Dr. Johnson was the secretary. Dr. Johnson succeeded Charles A. Melton as president and it was he who maintained and later donated UPAC's records to the Chester Country Historical Society. UPAC worked with other local civil rights groups and activists, including noted national civil rights activist and West Chester native Bayard Rustin, the West Chester Branch of the NAACP, and the West Chester Human Relations Council in fighting against discrimination and for fair employment. They were one of the plaintiffs in the historic racial discrimination case against Lukens Steel (Goodman vs. Lukens Steel, 1973) which went to the Supreme Court in 1986, and were at the forefront of the successful 1986 legal challenge to West Chester's use of at-large elections in determining voter representation on West Chester's Borough Council. The result of this fight was the implementation of a ward system to replace at-large elections.

From the description of United Political Action Committee of Chester County (UPAC) records, 1959-1996. (Chester County Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 650086435

“In 1966, several black civil rights workers decided to form a small organization whose purpose was to end racial discrimination in Chester County." 1 So began the United Political Action Committee of Chester County. The founders included Charles A. Melton, Charles H. Butler, Norman W. Bond, Robert L. Wright, Willie Stokes, James Ward, Alston B. Meade, W.T.M. Johnson, Ernest Spriggs and Charles V. Hamilton. Charles A. Melton was the first president and Dr. Johnson was the secretary. Dr. Johnson succeeded Charles A. Melton as president and it was he who maintained and later donated United Political Action Committee’s records to the Chester Country Historical Society.

United Political Action Committee worked with other local civil rights groups and activists, including noted national civil rights activist and West Chester native Bayard Rustin, the West Chester Branch of the NAACP, and the West Chester Human Relations Council in fighting against discrimination and for fair employment. They were one of the plaintiffs in the historic racial discrimination case against Lukens Steel (Goodman vs. Lukens Steel, 1973) which went to the Supreme Court in 1986, and were at the forefront of the successful 1986 legal challenge to West Chester's use of at-large elections in determining voter representation on West Chester's Borough Council. The result of this fight was the implementation of a ward system to replace at-large elections.

1 Johnson, W.T.M., United Political Action Committee – A Brief History March 18, 1980.

From the guide to the United Political Action Committee of Chester County records, 1958-1996, (Chester County Historical Society)