NC NAACP Post-Election News Conference To Issue Call For Collaboration and Challenge to Govern for the Good of the Whole

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

16 November 2012

For More Information:           Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, (919) 394-8137

                                               Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, (919) 682-4700

For Media Assistance:           Mr. Rob Stephens, Field Secretary, (336) 577-9335

NC NAACP Holds Post-Election News Conference to Extend to

Governor-Elect Pat McCrory an Invitation for Collaboration and

a Challenge to Govern for the Good of the Whole

DURHAM - On the heels of a historic turnout of African-Americans and other minorities in this month's election, members of the NC NAACP State Executive Committee, representing leadership from across the state, will join President Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II for a news conference on Saturday morning to extend Governor-Elect Pat McCrory an invitation for collaboration and a challenge to govern for the good of the whole.

The news conference will take place at the NC Mutual Life Insurance Building, 411 West Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC on Saturday, November 17, 2012 at

10:00 AM.

The NC NAACP will do the following three things at the news conference:

1.      Renew our request to meet prior to the inauguration with Governor-Elect McCrory and his leadership team to issue a call for collaboration, to discuss the civil rights and progressive agenda, and how the NAACP at times has worked with Republicans down through history to advance the cause of racial equality and economic justice.

2.      Express a deep concern that ultra-conservative Art Pope was placed in an advisory position for the Governor-Elect McCrory's transition team and detail the reasons why at the news conference.

3.      Raise serious questions and discuss concerns about NC Supreme Court Justice-Elect Paul Newby's ability to be impartial in the redistricting cases in light of how the recent campaign was conducted.

            "We are asking Governor-Elect McCrory to resist the extremist elements of the Republican Party that continue to race-bait, attack voting rights, the poor and social safety net programs, and express unfounded criticism of the elected President of our nation based on his race," said Rev. Barber. "The election is over now. We must move towards governing, and we call on Governor-Elect McCrory to focus on the kind of agenda that will move our state forward together and not one step back."

             "The Civil and Human Rights Community is more than willing to work with Governor-Elect McCrory and the NC General Assembly leadership in ways that will advance civil rights and justice," continued Rev. Barber. "We have always challenged our elected officials, be they Democrat or Republican, to lift our state from the bottom and govern as our state's Constitution demands: for the good of the whole. We believe in order to fulfill this Constitutional mandate, our leaders once elected must commit themselves to the following nonpartisan values: 1) economic sustainability, addressing poverty, full employment, living wages, disparate unemployment and labor rights; 2) educational equality - every child deserves a high quality, well-funded, constitutional, diverse public education; 3) healthcare for all and ensuring access to Medicare and Medicaid; 4) addressing the continuing inequalities in the criminal justice system for black, brown and poor white people; and 5) protecting, defending and expanding voting rights for all people."  

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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.