Reflecting on early Chamber history

When Tuskegee established a local Chamber of Commerce in June 1971, it represented racial progress. A previous Tuskegee Chamber had been segregated, consisting of all white men. In the 1950s and 1960s, the fight against racial injustices sparked boycotts and legal challenges. These strategies were successful, allowing newly emboldened Black citizens to flex their collective muscles. They opened businesses and envisioned running for political offices.

There was also a willingness among a younger generation of white business leaders to work with their Black peers. This attitude paved the way for an inter-racial Chamber of Commerce in Tuskegee. Members chose 29-year-old Charles “Cliff” Johnson to head the newly constituted Chamber.

Now deceased, Johnson was featured in the April 22, 1971 issue of JET magazine as the first African American in the nation to own a Cadillac car dealership.