In honor of Black History Month, this week’s article highlights the Transylvania Citizens Improvement Organization (TCIO) and one of its founders, Reverend Samuel A. Raper.

Samuel Anderson Raper (1913-2009) was born the fourth of eleven siblings on February 9, 1913 in Athens, GA to Alfred Samuel (1873-1945) and Pinkie Thomas Raper (1886-1924) both of Watkinsville, GA. Samuel’s parents were farm laborers. His mother passed away when he was 11 years old, and his father remarried two years later to Flossie Oates, who is sometimes mistakenly listed as his mother instead of stepmother. The family grew with this marriage, as Flossie had children from a previous marriage and Alfred and Flossie had more children together. The family seems mostly to have lived in Oconee, GA, but by the 1930 Census, they’d settled in the Shelby, NC area.

Samuel attended Friendship College, a Baptist-affiliated historically black college/university located in Rock Hill, SC, and received both his Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the institution, as well as an honorary Doctorate in Divinity. D. Div. degrees are only ever honorary and cannot be completed through academic work, but instead are awarded with proof of a Bachelor’s and sufficient experience in ministry.

Samuel married Inez Virginia Cliette (1915-2003) of Fort Valley, GA on June 25, 1936. Their first child, son Samuel Raper Jr., was born in September of 1940, and our Samuel registered for the military draft less than a month later, though no service record was uncovered. At the time Samuel was working in a funeral home. Though the year isn’t certain, he was ordained as a reverend at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Shelby, NC.

At some point, Rev. Raper came to the Transylvania County area. He ministered to the Bethel “A” Baptist congregation from 1953-1968 and was instrumental in the organization of the Transylvania Citizens Improvement Organization (TCIO). The TCIO was established in 1960 to promote the civic, educational, political, and economic opportunities for African American citizens in Brevard and Transylvania County. The group made an impact by fighting racial discrimination in both private and public institutions, and by building coalitions with white citizens.

By 1962 the TCIO was approaching its first goal of school integration. At the time the only high school education available to black students was to be bussed to Henderson County’s Ninth Avenue School 42 miles away. The Board of Education flatly denied their first request for full integration, suggesting a select number of students integrate instead, but the group was uncompromising. They took their case to the Federal Courts with the assistance of an Asheville-based lawyer, Reuben Dailey. Judge Wilson Warlick determined that the Board of Education must integrate the entire African American student body into Brevard Junior and Senior High Schools.

The TCIO didn’t stop with school integration. Their efforts helped to desegregate the Olin Corporation’s annual Fourth of July Picnic, integrated the Transylvania County Hospital, and created much-needed public housing. Over time the group established a scholarship fund and turned their efforts to other means of community improvement. Eventually older members passed away and the group became less active. Those who were once involved directed their energy into the activities of the Mary C. Jenkins Community Center and membership on its board of directors. The TCIO’s impact on the community is undeniable.

During this time, the TCIO grew in membership and had new leaders. In 1968 Rev. Raper moved back to his hometown of Shelby, NC and remained there until the end of his life in 2009. He and wife Inez ran a grocery store (Raper’s Groceries) for 32 years in addition to his ministry work with the Mount Calvary Baptist Church there. They left behind a legacy of loved ones and community service.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Sperry. Sources available upon request. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.