Midwest Civil rights
highlights
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia & Wisconsin
KY LEADERS SAY: “CONFIRM LORETTA LYNCH”
African-American leaders from Kentucky held a press conference at the
Louisville Branch NAACP office to urge their senators, Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell and Senator Rand Paul, to confirm Loretta Lynch for
Attorney General before recess. Lynch, who would be the first AfricanAmerican woman to be Attorney General, has been delayed for reasons
that have nothing to do with her qualifications or character. Speakers
included (l-r) Jeffery Donohue, State Representative, Darryl T. Owens,
State Representative, Reginald Meeks, State Representative, Mary
Woolridge, City Council Member, Gerald. Neal, State Senator, Raoul
Cunningham, President Kentucky NAACP Conference, Cedric Powell,
University of Louisville Law Professor, Cheri Bryant Hamilton, City
Council Member, Ben Richmond, President Louisville Urban League,
David Tandy, President Louisville City Council.
NAACP MIDWEST
REGIONIII
NAACP Regional
Office
530 S. Pine St.
Lansing, MI 48933
DETROIT AND INDY NAACP JOIN SELMA MARCH
JOIN THE NAACP
NOW!!!
MEMBERSHIP IS
POWER!!!!!!!!!!
Vol. VII No. 4
April, 2015
Detroit NAACP members march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL
March 7, 2015.
Indianapolis NAACP contingent on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL
March 7, 2015.
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Dr. Jerome Reide
Regional Field
Director
www.naacp.org
517-371-2199
Voting Rights and Political Representation:
Equal Voting Rights and Fair Representation for all
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/08/us/selma-50-years-anniversary-live-events/
Marchers cross Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL March 7, 2015, (l-r) Sasha Obama, Marian Robinson,
Malia Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Congressman John Lewis, Cornell William Brooks, President & CEO
NAACP, President Barack Obama, Amelia Boynton Robinson, (who was beaten in the 1965 “Bloody Sunday”
march). Chairman Roslyn M. Brock (fourth from right), First Lady Laura Bush, (second from right), and
President George W. Bush commemorated the 50th anniversary of the historic voting rights march in Selma,
Montgomery. In the wake of the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, increased voter suppression laws that impact
minorities President Obama called on Congress to pass a Voting Rights Act Amendment.
DETROIT AND INDY NAACP BRANCHES MARCH IN SELMA
Detroit NAACP contingent on the bus to
members Selma, AL March 7, 2015.Hundreds of
activists tried to walk peacefully from Selma to
Montgomery on March 7, 1965 to support voting
rights for African-Americans when they were
attacked by Alabama State Troopers at the
Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Indianapolis NAACP Youth Council members march in
Selma, AL March 7, 2015, to commemorate “Bloody
Sunday,” March 7, 1965 when activists marched to support
voting rights for African-Americans were attacked by
Alabama State Troopers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The
courage and bravery of those marchers led to passage of
the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which opened voting booths to
millions of blacks in the South. The march would later end in
Montgomery on March 25, 1965, with 25,000 people.
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Voting Rights and Political Representation: Equal Voting Rights and
Fair Representation for all
(L-r) First Lady Laura Bush, First Lady Michelle Obama, President Barack Obama, Congressman John
Lewis, and President George W. Bush at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL to commemorate the
50th anniversary of the historic voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, AL.
Cornell William Brooks, President & CEO
NAACP, and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson at the
Edmund Pettus Bridge March 7, 2015, for the
50th commemoration of “Bloody Sunday,” March
7, 1965 when voting rights activists were
attacked by Alabama State Troopers.
(L-r) Hazel N. Dukes, President, NY State
Conference NAACP and Executive Committee,
National Board of Directors, NAACP,
Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
and Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman, National
Board of Directors, NAACP march across
Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL March 7,
2015
Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman, National
Board of Directors, NAACP and Attorney
General Eric Holder at 50 th
commemoration of
“Bloody Sunday,”
Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL March
7, 2015.
University of Michigan contingent marches in Selma, AL
March 7, 2015 to commemorate “Bloody Sunday,”
March 7, 1965 when activists marched to support
voting rights for African-Americans were attacked by
Alabama State Troopers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
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WESTERN WAYNE COUNTY, MI NAACP SEEKS ANSWERS IN POLICE BEATING
A graphic video shows an Inkster police officer punching Floyd Dent in the head 16 times on Jan. 28, 2O15.
Bishop Walter Starghill, President, Western Wayne County NAACP held a press conference with Mayor
Hillard Hampton, City Manager, Richard Marsh and Police Chief Yost March 27, 2015 to inform the
community that the Michigan State Police were investigating the incident:
Please click below to see the dashcam video:
http://wapo.st/1yf4b9W
CLEAN AND SAFE WATER IS A MORAL RIGHT!
AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR AND CITY OF FLINT OFFICIALS
By Frances Gilcreast, President, Flint Branch NAACP
Clean and safe water is a moral right and a fundamental expectation for the residents and citizens
of Flint. This time last year we had a water supply we could trust and use for drinking, cooking, bathing, and
washing. Although the cost was high and rates seemed to be on the increase, people are usually willing to
pay for what they can use. Water is a basic need that is required for survival. The city had been buying our
water from Detroit, but because they had increased their prices, officials in Flint specifically the Mayor,
Emergency Manager, certain city council members and other elected officials decided it would be cheaper
to provide our own water and build their own pipeline to Lake Huron and avoid the price hike of water from
Detroit. This would be all fine and good, if a well thought out plan and process would have happened.
The Flint officials decided they would give the Flint residents water from the Flint River and started
pumping water through the pipes of a system that had not been used in more than forty years. It was
quickly determined that the pipes were old and corroded to the extent that General Motors refused to use
Flint Water because it was causing problems with their parts and the smell and color of the water was a
dingy brown color. The officials then started adding chlorine to the water to offset the odor and when water
testing was done, it was determined that byproducts from the chlorine raised levels of a chemical in the
water that required notices to be sent to Flint residents alerting them of this. The warning stated that if you
were a nursing mother, infant or had a compromised immune system, then you were at risk for health
problems. City officials did not take into account, the health risk that may be involved and there were no
feasibility studies done to determine whether or not their plan was practical. Officials at local hospitals were
not consulted on what changing the water delivery source would mean to them. There are many
compromised patients and individuals in our local medical centers. The residents of Flint noticed the
change in the water immediately, people are complaining of skin rashes appearing, increased eczema and
other skin abnormalities occurring since this change in the water source.
Now, because of the public outcry, the blame game is in full force. The mayor is blaming the emergency
manager for the problem, who was conveniently promoted to another position in the state, by the governor.
City council members are saying they didn’t have all the information and are now backtracking on what they
supported.
It is time to put the people first and take politics and balance sheet revenue out of the equation. This has
become a life and death situation and safety and the lives of people should be the priority. The elected, as
well as appointed officials, need to serve the people and not themselves. The current emergency manager
states that it would cost too much to go back to the old system even though Detroit officials have offered to
reconnect without raising the price. It seems our current emergency manager and other city officials are
not putting people first, but are using the cost as a reason to deny its citizens clean water. If this were
Grand Blanc, or Oakland County, something would have been done immediately. We don’t know how long
this consultant will take to be hired and provide an analysis of our water quality. We have no guarantees
that the current plan will work and in the meantime the people are suffering and are paying high prices for
water that is only good for flushing toilets! The mayor and other city officials have put its residents and
citizens lives at risk! Well Mr. Mayor, Mr. Emergency Manager, City Council and Mr. Governor, we need
you to do what you were elected and appointed to do, serve the people and this community. We deserve
the right to be able to trust our water supply. We deserve clean and safe water now, not maybe in late 2016
or 2017. We deserve clean and safe water now, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY! It is a moral right of all
people!
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Education: A free, high-quality, public education for all
(R) Mishara Davis, President, University of Michigan
College Chapter, NAACP President participated in the
Race Summit: "Let's Talk About Race," at the University of
Michigan Mar. 14, 2015 It was sponsored by University
Housing and the Global Scholars Program in Angell Hall,
Davis discussed her experience as an African American
student at U of M and answered questions about racial
attitudes on campus.
DECATUR, IL BRANCH CHALLENGES SCHOOL DISTRICT’S RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
Decatur Branch presented two major concerns to the Decatur School Board, President Hodges, and
Superintendent Taylor on March 24, 2015. The Need to Revamp the Alternative Education Program and the
Discrimination/Injustices/Inequalities Relative to Employees and Parents Based on Race. The Unit asked the
school board to desist and cease the district-wide practice of waiting until a student is 16 or 17 to push them
out of school, which feeds the school to prison pipeline. Second, the NAACP requested the school board to
cease and desist the practice of sending students home without any paperwork or notification to the parent.
The NAACP is asking the board to do an in-depth study and create action plans to address the inequalities of
District 61.
DuPage County, IL,
ACT-SO
Program Awards Dinner for the
NAACP, was held Mar. 22, 2015
where 11 students won a total of
14 Gold Medals and will travel to
the 2015 NAACP Convention July
2015 in Philadelphia
for the
National ACT-SO Competition.
(Center) Dorletta Payton, Chair,
DuPage County ACT-SO ,
produced the DuPage County
ACT-SO Competition this year and
Juan Thomas, Chair, Illinois ACTSO with the winners.
ACT-SO 101
(L-r) Teresa Haley, Executive Committee,
Springfield, IL NAACP, Jennif er Gill,
Superintendent, Springfield School District 186, and
Kathy Davis, First VP and Veteran's Affair Chair.
The Springfield, IL NAACP Back-to-School/Stay-inSchool (BTS/SIS) Alternative Education Program for
District 186 students who have been expelled from
their respective schools “without a program”. More
than 500 students from third grade through high
school have successfully completed the program
since 2000. Calvary Baptist Church hosts BTS/SIS
and the school district pays the salaries of the
program’s teachers.
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YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT ENGAGEMENT
Grand Valley State University, MI College chapter of the
NAACP met on Feb. 23, 2015 to discuss the repercussions of
the Black Lives Matter campaign and the importance of
communication.
http://www.lanthorn.com/article/2015/02/news-naacp
Jonathan McKinney, Regional Field Organizer,
NAACP, was a guest speaker at Grand Valley
State University, MI College chapter of the
NAACP met on Feb. 23, 2015 and said the
Black Lives Matter movement is popular, and it
needs to continue to expand.
http://www.lanthorn.com/article/2015/02/news-naacp
“Is Race Still Relevant?,” was the question addressed
by Dr. Jerome Reide, Regional Field Organizer at a
Grand Valley State social work seminar with Assistant
Professor Mirta Leon, Feb. 19, 2015, Grand Rapids,
MI. Dr. Reide detailed racial disparities in education,
criminal justice, health, economic sustainability, voting
rights that are the focus of
NAACP Strategic
Priorities: “Game-changers.”
http://www.naacp.org/pages/game-changers
Marion Youth Council during NAACP WEEK at St. Jude;s
Church, New Orleans, for the Spring Break Marion Black
History Club annual HBCU tour March 23-26, 2015. Other
Louisiana colleges visited were Southern, Dillard, and
Tulane, Marion HS and Marion, IN Branch NAACP
sponsored the trip for 31 students.
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KANKAKEE, IL NAACP MAYORAL FORUM
VOTER ACTIVATION NETWORK (VAN)
The Voter Activation Network (VAN), is an online
interface where organizers can access data about
registered voters, unregistered community
members, volunteers and supporters. Finding the
people you want to talk to (your targets) and using
their contact information for voter engagement is the
focal point of any electoral, civic engagement or
issue campaign. The VAN can be used to find the
people that you want to engage, and to then help
you make phone calls, knock on doors, or send
mail, and then track the results.
Kankakee County, IL’s Political Action Committee, held a
NAACP Mayoral Forum for Village of Hopkins Park.
candidates March 26, 2015. (L-r) Reggie Jarrett, Richard
Michniak, Walter Jones III and Mark Hodge. Election day is
April 7, 2015. There was a lively debate on the issues
between the candidates and some 90 participants.
IL NAACP FINANCIAL FREEDOM CAMPAIGN
Please contact Jonathan McKinney, Regional
Field Organizer for training and access to the
Voter Activation Network (VAN) :
[email protected]
(517) 371-2199
(L-r) ) Phyllis Logan, Chair, Economic Development, IL
and Carolyn Hankins Page, Secretary Westside Chicago
NAACP counsel participants at Westside Chicago NAACP
and Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority held a Wealth and
Asset Building event. This collaboration focused on
homeownership, budgeting for savings and retirement, life
insurance planning, credit, preventing identity theft.
Rockford, IL NAACP held a Economic Resource Fair
at Rockford College March 29, 2015. Workshops on
credit, mortgages and personal finances.
Corporations, state agencies, and local entrepreneurs
provided information.
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KY AND OH HOLD MANDATORY TRAINING FOR NAACP OFFICERS
To ensure that the practices of all member Units
are consistent and follow the NAACP's policies
and procedures Mandatory Training was
conducted
for
Kentucky
State
Conference NAACP leaders in Frankfort, IL
March 21, 2015.Dr. Jerome Reide, Regional
Field Director presented the training on
NAACP policies and procedures.
Raoul Cunningham, President, Kentucky State
Conference presided at NAACP Mandatory Training
March 21,2015 and Frankfort members hosted. Dr.
Reide presented on several questions: NAACP Charge,
Unit Compliance, Leadership Development, Officers,
Executive Committee, Branch Standing Committees,
and the NAACP Strategic Priorities :"Game Changers."
President Cunningham updated the Unit Officers on
advocacy for common core standards in Kentucky and
legislation to restore voting rights to ex-offenders.
At the March 14, 2015 for Mandatory Training, on
Columbus, OH Dr. Jerome Reide addressed key
questions for Unit Executive Officers: What is the
structure of the NAACP? How do Units work? How does
the Association make policy? What are the Branch
Officers' responsibilities? What are the Executive
Committee's responsibilities? What are meeting and
accounting procedures? All newly elected NAACP Unit
Executive Officers, Standing Committee Chairs are
required to participate by May 31. 2015.
Twenty three Ohio Units sent Officers and Standing
Committee Chairs to Columbus, OH March 14, 2015
for Mandatory Training conducted by Dr. Jerome
Reide, Regional Field Director.
Sybil McNabb,
President & Trustee Special Contribution Fund,
Ophelia Averitt, First Vice President & Member,
National Board of Directors, Manny Stone, Second
Vice President and Derrick Forward, Third Vice
President presided. To ensure that the practices of all
member Units are consistent and follow the NAACP's
policies and procedures.
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