James Credle

James Credle (February 7, 1945 – April 15, 2023) was an American academic administrator, counselor, and Veterans and LGBT rights activist.

He was assistant dean of student affairs at Rutgers University–Newark and was a founding member of several Veterans and LGBTQ associations.

For his heroic actions in the Vietnam War, Credle received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal with "V" device, Gallantry Cross, and an Army Commendation Medal.

Credle was born on February 7, 1945, in Mesic, North Carolina during the time of Jim Crow laws.

He was one of 14 children, seven boys and seven girls.

As a child, he knew he was gay, but didn't know what gay meant, other than how the church described it, and he was picked on because he was thought of as a "sissie."

His sister protected him from bullies, and his family was supportive of him being gay.

He was a good student, and a good athlete in school.

His mother was a dayworker and his father worked part-time as a carpenter; he looked up to his mother growing up, but James Baldwin was his first role model.

Credle attended a segregated high school in 1962, and described it as "degrading of black people;"he also describes the feeling at the time that fighting against racism would lead to retaliation.

Credle and his siblings worked through high school to supplement the family income.

He worked in fields picking cotton, potatoes, corn, and cabbage.

He later worked in a crab factory.

His family were members of Mount Olive Baptist Church where he sang in the choir, but he struggled to accept the idea of a white god, and found the teachings of the church to be hypocritical.

Credle graduated from the all-black Pamlico County Training School in 1962.

He moved that year to Newark, New Jersey to work at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Lyons with his aunt and uncle.

However, he found that Newark was segregated by race and class, despite being a northern city.

When asked about his experience of coming out, he said that it is a lifelong process, and that he doesn't try to hide his gay identity.

Credle worked for three years at the Veterans' Administration Hospital in Lyons, New Jersey.

In 1965, he was drafted into the army and served two years in the military.

He underwent medic training at Fort Devens.

From 1966 to 1967, he was in Vietnam serving as a Spec 4 medic for the 196th Light Infantry Brigade.

In Tây Ninh Province, Credle was wounded but continued to help other soldiers evacuate while under enemy fire.

He quickly returned to Newark shortly after the 1967 Newark riots.

Within a month, Credle returned to work at the Lyons VA Hospital.

He attended Rutgers University–Newark from 1968 to 1972 under the G.I. Bill and received a B.A. in sociology.

Credle graduated third in his class.

He started all four years on the Rutgers–Newark Scarlet Raiders basketball team and served as captain twice.

Credle was a member of the Black Organization of Students (BOS) and Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Along with other BOS members, Credle participated in a 72-hour occupation at Rutgers Conklin Hall protesting for increased opportunities and access for minority students, staff, and faculty at Rutgers–Newark.

He spent one semester at Rutgers Law School before obtaining the position of director of the office of veterans affairs at Rutgers–Newark.

In 1976, Credle became assistant dean of student affairs at Rutgers.

His responsibilities there included acting as the director of the office of veterans affairs.

Credle worked at Rutgers for 37 years.

During his time at Rutgers, he made efforts to create an inclusive environment for queer students.

Credle was also a founding member and chairperson for the New Jersey Association of Veterans Program Administrators and the minority affairs director for the National Association of Concerned Veterans.

He was a founding member of the National Association for Black Veterans, vice chair of the New Jersey Agent Orange Commission, and the executive director of the National Council of Churches' Veterans in Prisons program.

Credle was a founding member and previous co-chair of the National Association of Black and White Men Together, which was created in San Francisco in 1980, and the New York Men of All Colors Together.

These associations are dedicated to fighting racism and sexism.

The 35th year of the association, in 2015, an event was held in Newark.