FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2012
For More Information: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137
Ms. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700
For Media Assistance: Atty. Jennifer Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator,
919-682-4700
Rob Stephens, Office Manager, 336-577-9335
North Carolina NAACP's Statewide Civil Rights Spring Meeting
Featuring a Candidates Forum for Governor and Lieutenant Governor
On Saturday, April 21, 2012 the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP will bring grassroots leaders from its branches across the state to Durham for a Spring Meeting filled with workshops, presentations, a Unity Session, a Candidate's Forum and the 28th Annual Humanitarian Awards Banquet. The Spring Meeting will begin at 9:00 AM at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, 2200 S. Alston St. Durham, NC and the Humanitarian Awards Banquet will take place at the Durham Convention Center, 201 Foster Street, Durham, NC, beginning at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM
"The gathering could not come at a more critical time in North Carolina," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the NC NAACP. "After examining data and public policy, the North Carolina NAACP renders the opinion that North Carolina is in a State of Emergency when it comes to public education funding, poverty and jobs, equal protection under the law, injustices in the criminal justice system, access to healthcare, protection of civil and constitutional rights, environmental protection and immigrant rights for many North Carolinians. Civic engagement is of paramount importance and the NC NAACP Spring Meeting is a major event to continue to expand participation in our democracy, which is critical for this state to choose a better way."
The day will open with a Unity Session and Call to Action by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II at 9:00 AM. Rev. Dr. Barber will discuss the current political landscape and the State of Emergency in North Carolina.
The Call to Action will be followed by a plenary session on the ongoing issue of redistricting. The NC NAACP is suing the state over the race-based maps passed by the extreme right-wing last year. The session will feature leading civil and voting rights attorneys in North Carolina. Following that session, the NC NAACP's premier Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) and voter registration grassroots organizers will gather to present more plans on how to deliver record voter turnout for the May 8 primary and the general election in November. The session will highlight the National NAACP "This is My Vote" campaign to register hundreds of thousands of Americans to vote and equip vulnerable communities with the resources to fight back against attacks on fundamental voting rights (www.thisismyvote.org). Additionally, grassroots leaders will be called to build the "1000-100" Campaign to have 1000 Churches, Temples and Mosques attain 100% Voter Registration among their parishioners. The NC NAACP will also announce the Fresh Freedom Summer, a campaign using the NC NAACP grassroots network to register 50,000 new voters from June to September this year.
Candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of both parties have been invited to participate in a candidates forum at 1:15 pm on Saturday to discuss issues facing North Carolina today. Two days after the beginning of same day registration and early voting (a critical voter empowerment program passed with the help of the NC NAACP), candidates will make their case before hundreds of grassroots civil rights leaders who represent 25,000 members across the state.
Building on the momentum of over 15,000 marchers filling the streets of Raleigh on February 11, 2012 at the Historic Thousands on Jones Street People's Assembly and March on Raleigh, the Spring Meeting will maintain these themes:
Forward Together, Not One Step Back: We will not be divided or defeated
Forward Together Not One Step Back: WE DEMAND Liberty and Justice for All
Forward Together Not One Step Back: WE DEMAND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Forward Together Not One Step Back: We the People Shall Not be Moved
The North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP is now the second largest in the nation. This annual conference brings together NAACP members from over 120 branches, college chapters and youth units from across the state for a day of training and inspiration with the purpose of continuing to build the current-day Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina.
The Spring Meeting will include a workshop preparing for the HKonJ-NC NAACP People of Color Justice and Unity Legislative Day on Wednesday, May 23, 2012. This day is an opportunity for members of the HKonJ People's Assembly Coalition to gather in Raleigh and urge public officials to support the 14-Point Agenda. The HKonJ People's Assembly Coalition is driven by an anti-racist, anti-poverty anti-war and pro-justice 14-Point People's Agenda, which is supported by a growing diverse coalition consisting of nearly 150 partnering organizations. The day will close with critical trainings in branch administration, criminal justice, membership campaigns and a progressive media summit.
The program includes a report on the Truth and Hope Tour, Putting a Face on Poverty in North Carolina, which has already traveled to Northeast and Southeast NC, and is scheduled to take its third leg to Western NC on April 30 and May 1. Another session will address recent attacks on the Racial Justice Act and the racial profiling that plagues minority communities in the context of the national outcry over the issue. Attendees will also participate in a strategy session for mobilization against the discriminatory Amendment One on the May 8 primary ballot.
Doors will open at 6:30 PM for the 28th Annual Humanitarian Awards Banquet and the program begins at 7:00 PM. The North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP is proud to announce the 2012 awardees:
2012 Humanitarian of the Year:
Andrea L. Harris
The North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP proudly announces that Andrea L. Harris is the 2012 NC NAACP Humanitarian of the Year. A North Carolina native, Ms. Harris' service through advocacy, research, leadership and vision has had a major impact upon community economic development and advanced opportunities for small and minority businesses. She has served sometimes as the lone voice holding elected officials accountable in matters of equity in wealth building and access for communities of color throughout North Carolina and the nation. Harris is the President and one of the co-founders of the NC Institute for Minority of Economic Development, a statewide nonprofit organization representing the interest of underdeveloped and underutilized sectors of the state's economic base.
She is a graduate of Bennett College, sits on numerous boards and commissions and is a life member of the NAACP. Ms. Harris has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognition for her efforts in addressing asset building for low-wealth communities. Harris currently serves as Chair of the Economic Development Committee of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP.
2012 CHARLES A. MCLEAN DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD:
Stella Adams
The Charles A. McLean Distinguished Service Award is awarded to an NAACP member who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to serve humanity on the grassroots level. Recent winners have included Dr. Jarvis Hall, former State Political Action Chair (2009), and Mr. William "Woody" Woodard, long-serving former Branch President of Statesville, NC (2010).
This year's honoree will be Ms. Stella Adams who will be recognized during the Humanitarian Banquet. Adams is the Director of the Patricia Roberts Harris National Fair Housing Training Academy, which trains fair housing professionals to improve their investigative skills and to strategically enforce fair housing laws in an effective and efficient manner. Ms. Adams is a nationally recognized expert on the Fair Housing Act and its implementing regulations. She is also one of the leading authorities on predatory lending and mortgage fraud investigative techniques in the country. Over $60,000,000 was recovered by the NC Attorney General based on predatory lending investigations conducted by the North Carolina Fair Housing Center, which she led from 1994-2007. She currently serves as Chair of the Housing Committee for the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP.
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Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
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