Mar 27 2013
NAACP NEW YORK STATE CONFERENCE NEWS & EVENTS
NAACP New York State Conference
First Quarterly Meeting
UFT Headquarters - 52 Broadway
January 12, 2013, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
The conference held its First Quarterly meeting in New York City. More than 300 officers and members from across the state attended. The meeting included advocacy training modules for newly elected unit Presidents and Officers.
First Quarterly Meeting President’s Message
Dear Colleagues:
On behalf of the officers and myself I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Blessed, Health, Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Let us all give thanks for the bountiful blessings poured out upon the NAACP New York State Conference throughout the year. We do pause and reflect on the past year and you are to be commended for your service and stewardship. However, our communities of Far Rockaway and Staten Island were devastated by the effects of Sandy and we appreciated the branches that repose to our relief efforts. As we have enter into this New Year of Challenges, I hope the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation of Proclamation, Celebration of the March on Washington and the 50th year of the murder of Medgar Evers, NAACP Field Director of Mississippi, and much more must be a reminder of the importance of fulfilling the mission and goals of being Civil Rights Advocates.
As an army of Advocates for “Equality and Justice” strong in mind and spirit and steadfast in our commitment to all humankind we must address the societal challenges plaguing our communities. In this New Year we must implement the National Board of Directors strategic plan, the “Game Changers”. We must provide our communities with energetic leadership that will keep our concerns before all elected officials and other policy making entities. We must keep the pressure on with constant communication in person, by electronic media and all other forms of advocacy. Our voter turnout in November was historic! We defied the dire predictions that we would be deterred by all the sleazy, well funded forces that sought to curtail our access to the ballot by shortening early voting, imposing unnecessary and burdensome voter identification requirements. We cannot sit back now. More than ever we must keep our eyes on the prize. The NAACP Local, State and National agenda addresses our community’s needs. Attached are the 2013 Action and Vision Plan Implementation of the Five Game Changers.
2013 Action and Vision Plan Implementation of the Five Game Changers
Economic Sustainability
A chance to live the American Dream for all.
Every person will have equal opportunity to achieve economic success, sustainability, and security.
Education
A free, high-quality, public education for all.
n Every child will receive a free, high quality, equitably-funded, public pre-K and K12 education followed by diverse opportunities for accessible, affordable vocational or university education.
Health
Health equality for all Americans including a healthy life and high- quality health care.
Everyone will have equal access to affordable, high-quality health care and racially disparate health outcomes will end.
Public Safety and Criminal Justice
Equitable dispensation of justice for all.
Disproportionate incarceration, racially discriminatory sentencing guidelines,
racially motivated policing strategies, and racially influenced sentencing will end and incarceration will be greatly reduced.
Voting Rights and Political Representation
Protect and enhance voting rights and fair representation.
Every American will have free, open, equal, and protected access to the vote and fair representation at all levels of the political process. By protecting democracy, enhancing equity, and increasing democratic participation and civic engagement, African Americans will be proportionally elected to political office.
In order to successfully implement the changes we must start now to increase your unit’s membership. Hold meetings that offer information and strategies to accomplish our mission. Raise the public image of the NAACP at town hall meetings; visit your local newspapers, radio and television reporters to present them with our civil rights agenda. Visit the schools, the courts and yes, the prisons in your area. We must be visible, vocal and vigilant.
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March 14, 2013
NAACP Metropolitan Council Branches Attended the NYCHA Housing 80%/20% Meeting
NYCHA has already held their first public meeting about “Infill Development” at Carver Houses this week, but there are two additional upcoming meetings - one at the Washington Houses and the other at the Douglass Houses. NYCHA is proposing to lease their land to private developers so that they can create ‘80-20′ housing (80% market-rate and 20% affordable/low-income) that will fill critical budget shortfalls and meet its capital obligations. This is an opportunity for residents and community members to ask questions and express their opinions before NYCHA submits their Request for Proposals (RFPs) for their target properties by the end of the month. If approved, this will impact District 8 residents and community members of Carver, Washington and Douglass Houses, and the surrounding community. |
While NYCHA is not privatizing the developments or taking anyone’s apartments away, this is an important community issue, and we encourage all concerned residents to attend this meeting.
WASHINGTON HOUSES:
This Thursday, March 14, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM, NYCHA will be at the Union Settlement Association’s White Community Center (237 East 104th Street, between 2nd & 3rd Avenues) to speak about their infill development proposal for two sites affecting Washington Houses’ residents:
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NAACP NEW YORK STATE CONFERENCE
SUPPORTS MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION
March, 2013
“We applaud the State Assembly for their bold action in passing legislation now to implement a $9/hr minimum wage with indexing. This is long overdue and complements President Obama’s call for the same in his State of the Union address. We look forward to working with the rest of the State Legislature and the Governor in making this law a reality as quickly as possible,” said NAACP State President Dr. Hazel N. Dukes. “This legislation particularly impacts people of color throughout the state, whether Black, Latino, or Asian, who are disproportionately impacted by minimum wage conditions. With a $9.00 minimum wage, working New Yorkers will have a better chance of being lifted out of poverty, the opportunity to afford healthier foods, access more preventative medical and dental care, and overall have a better chance at The American Dream, “ said NAACP Economic Development Chairman Garry Anthony Johnson.
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New York NAACP Calls Sugary Beverage Ban an Attack on Small, Minority-Owned Business
January, 2013
(New York City, NY) – The New York State Conference of the NAACP released the following statement regarding their decision to file an amicus brief against Mayor Bloomberg’s sugary drink regulations.
From Hazel N. Dukes, President of the New York State Conference of the NAACP:
“Our stand against Mayor Bloomberg’s soda ban is about basic economic fairness,” stated Hazel N. Dukes, President of the New York State Conference of the NAACP. “Bloomberg’s ban attacks the little guy, while giving a pass to big corporations.”
“As the new rules stand, small mom and pop stores in the city, which are disproportionately owned and operated by people of color, must comply with the law and suffer the financial consequences. Meanwhile, national chains like 7-11, which can handle the financial loss, are exempt. You can’t be serious about banning big sodas when you have a loophole for Big Gulps.”
“If Mayor Bloomberg is serious about taking this issue on, he cannot single out bodega who will struggle to adapt and compete with corporate franchises,” continued Dukes. “The New York State Conference of the NAACP supports an inclusive agenda to take on the epidemic of childhood obesity, including limiting the amount of unhealthy food, increasing opportunities for physical activity and investing in opportunities that promote accessible land spaces to improve healthy living.”
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October 2013
Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts
Hurricane Sandy, a late-season post-tropical cyclone, swept through the Caribbean and up the East Coast of the United States in late October 2012. The storm left thousands homeless and millions without power along the East Coast, effecting NAACP Units on Long Island, Far Rockaway, Brooklyn and Queens.
In the aftermath of Sandy, President Ed Josey of NAACP Staten Island and Dr. Ed. Williams, President of Far Rockaway have been on the front-line, working with families displaced and severely affected by the storm with city, state and federal officials as well as FEMA, Red Cross and other community groups.
We salute 2nd Vice President Karen Blanding, Youth Advisor James Robinson and William McDonald for their assist to the Far Rockaway President in purchasing needed supplies for the residents of the community and helping in distributing materials provided by FEMA and the Red Cross. Jennifer Jones, the Conference Health Chair visited the Far Rockaway branch and met with the President and the branch Health Chair to assess the health needs and concerns of the residents. Garry Johnson, the Conference Economic Development Chair has communicated with both Presidents Josey and Williams.
A special thanks to all of the units to contributed financially to the NAACP New York State Sandy Relief Fund. All money collected was used expressly toward assisting individuals and families displaced by the storm. NAACP teams included adults and youths who purchased much needed pajamas for children, under garments for adults and children, canned foods, donated outer clothing and much, much more.
We would also like to acknowledge AARP for their generous donation to the state for our Sandy Relief Efforts.
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