Lester Granger

Who was Lester Granger?

Lester Blackwell Granger was an African American civic leader who organized the Los Angeles, California, chapter of the National Urban League.

Granger was born Newport News, Virginia, one of six sons. His mother was a teacher and his father was a doctor from Barbados. He grew up in Newark, New Jersey and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1918.

He served in the U.S. Army during World War I, and worked briefly for the Newark chapter of the National Urban League.

In 1922, Granger was an extension worker with the New Jersey state vocational school for African American youth in Bordentown, New Jersey.

In 1930, he organized the Los Angeles chapter of the NUL. In 1934, he led the organization's efforts to promote trade unionism among African American workers and challenge racism by employers and labor organizations.

In 1940, Granger became the NUL’s assistant executive secretary in charge of industrial relations, and continued to work to integrate racist trade unions. In 1941, he led the NUL's effort to support the March on Washington proposed by A. Phillip Randolph, Bayard Rustin and A. J. Muste to protest racial discrimination in defense work and the Armed Forces.