BALTIMORE  — The NAACP Florida State Conference calls on the U.S. Department of Justice to open an immediate investigation and immediately intervene into the murder of Markeis McGlockton.

 “We know the misapplication of this horrendous idea of a law of standing your ground was an excuse to allow George Zimmerman to get away with murdering a young Trayvon Martin; and now it’s being used as an excuse for the murder of Markeis McGlockton –a loving father who only sought to defend his family,” said NAACP Chairman and Florida native Leon W. Russell.

The alleged killer, Michael Drejka, was not arrested or charged by Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri based on the Sheriff’s acceptance of his claim of the right to kill McGlockton according to the “Stand Your Ground” law. The case has been referred to the State’s Attorney who will determine whether Drejka’s excuse for murder will be accepted or if he will be charged? Regardless of the State Attorneys decision, the National Office of the NAACP joined the NAACP Florida State Conference and the NAACP Clearwater, Florida Branch in demanding the Department of Justice step in and investigates this killing.

“In cases like this, where local law enforcement fails to protect its citizens equally, it is the duty of the Department of Justice to step in and provide those protections,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “We call on Jeff Sessions to do his job and to forcefully and clearly counter the growing attitude among many that its open season on Black lives.”

The Florida NAACP has continued to monitor the case and stand firm in its call for justice.  “This law must be changed. How many more black men and women have to die based on this inhumane law.” said Adora Obi Nweze, NAACP Florida State Conference President and National Board member.

“We’ve got to fight back against this law, it’s basically a license to target and kill Black people,” said Marva McWhite, NAACP Clearwater Branch President.

The NAACP will participate in a rally on Sunday against the killing that features the Rev. Al Sharpton.

The general meeting of the Miami-Dade Branch of the NAACP will take place 7 p.m., Monday, June 18, 2018 at the New Way Praise & Worship Center, 16800 NW 22 Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056. The meeting is open to the public and new members are appreciated. 

The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most influential civil rights organization in the nation. If you want to make a difference in the community, don’t miss this meeting. Everyone is welcome.

South Florida will be the first market in a national roll out across the country. Residents throughout South Florida are invited to attend the launch to learn about opportunities to serve as ambassadors for their communities, participate in Airbnb’s local Experiences program, and have the opportunity to sign up as a Host.

Free RSVP at naacp-airbnb.eventbrite.com 

Saturday, May 19

11am - 2pm

Betty T. Ferguson Complex

3000 NW 199th St, Miami Gardens

For more information, email [email protected]

The NAACP Florida State Conference releases a statewide Economic Development Report Card upon examining the records of cities, counties, school districts and private sector organizations.

FORT LAUDERDALE— Adora Obi Nweze, President of NAACP Florida State Conference and Torey Alston, State Economic Development Chair released a statewide Economic Development Report Card after examining the records of leading public and private organizations over the last several months.

“I am excited to release this year’s Diversity Matters Report Card the records of public agencies from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys,” says Adora Obi Nweze, who also serves as a member of the National Board of the NAACP. “Diversity and inclusion continue to be a challenge in Florida and the NAACP will continue to sound the alarm for equality and fairness for all Floridians.”

The Diversity Matters Initiative examined the records of targeted cities, counties, school districts and private corporations statewide.  The NAACP Florida State Conference examined their records on employment, advertising and spending with minority, women and veteran-owned businesses.  The NAACP Florida State Conference conducts this review annually, proposes recommendations and releases its findings to the public. 

“Our Diversity Matters Report Card is an annual investigation reviewing workforce diversity, local contracting expenditures and advertising budgets in urban, rural and suburban areas,” says Torey Alston, who led this statewide effort on diversity and serves as 3^rd Vice-President of the NAACP Florida State Conference. “This year’s report card continues to show cities, counties, school districts, and private companies have diversity and inclusion as the last priority.  While there are some bright spots, there is still much work to be done ensuring diversity and inclusion is reflected in all aspects of government and the private sector.”

Here is the grading scale and methodology used for the report card:

Diversity Metric /Overall Total = Grade

• A – Excellent (25% and higher): Meets and exceeds diversity and inclusion standards
• B – Above Average (20% to 24%): Above average performance on diversity and inclusion standards 
• C – Average (15% to 19%): Average performance on diversity and inclusion standards
• D – Below Average (14% to 18%): Below average performance on diversity and inclusion standards
• F – Failing (13% and below): Does not meet diversity and inclusion standards
• *F – Not Reported

Looking closer at the report card, none of the 40 entities evaluated received a total grade of “A.” Only five entities received a total grade of “B” --- Duval County School District, Hendry County School District, Miami-Dade County School District, City of Fort Walton Beach, and Manatee County Board of Commissioners. One entity, Osceola County Board of Commissioners, received a total grade of “C.” Thirty-four, or 85% of the entities evaluated, received a total grade of “D” or “F.”

There is significant room for improvement in the categories dealing with spending and advertising & marketing. No surprise, is the abysmal failing grade in those areas as several local individuals and organizations have complained of this disparity in contracting with black businesses for many years. All the entities received an “F” in the “Small, Veteran & Minority Business Spending” category except one. Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners received a “D.”

The NAACP releases report cards every year. Now that this report card has been released, it is crucial that organizations and individuals throughout Florida are relentless in demanding transparency and diversity in how the tax dollars in their respective communities are allocated and spent.

Tonight at 9pm EST, Eric Pettus will guest host The Chief Jimmy Brown Show on 1490 WMBM. To listen, go to the web or download the app. 

Special invited guests are Darryl Holsendolph, Larry Williams and DC Clark who will discuss diversity issues related to government contracting particularly Miami Dade County Public Schools. You don't want to miss this one!!! 

Again, tune into www.WMBM.com or download the app. Call in to ask a question or make a comment by dialing any of the following numbers 305-953-9626 or 954-525-1490 or 888-599-WMBM. 

National NAACP Leadership, Charter and Public School Advocates to Discuss Impact of Charters on Underfunded School Districts

ORLANDO, FL – A new NAACP task force studying education quality will hold its third of at least seven national hearings on the impact of charter schools on underfunded school districts. The task force will take input from advocates, teachers, parents, and policy experts on Friday.

The National Task Force for Quality Education, along with Florida State Conference of the NAACP, will host its latest in a series of national public hearings concerning public education quality and the impact of charter schools on underfunded school districts from 2 p.m. – 7p.m. on Friday, Jan 27.

“In our communities all around the nation, public education has always been the fountain of opportunity; we, unintentionally let it run dry,” said NAACP CEO and President Cornell William Brooks. “Ensuring that underfunded districts are not disparately impacted by the growth of charters or privatization has always been a priority for the NAACP.”

NAACP Board Chair Roslyn Brock sees these hearings as a continuation of the NAACP’s push for equal opportunity.

“The NAACP historically and today remains in the forefront of the struggle for equal opportunity and advocates for free high-quality, fully funded and equitable public education for all children,” said Chairwoman Brock, Chairman of the National NAACP Board of Directors. “We are dedicated to eliminating the severe racial inequities that continue to plague the education system.”

This event is the third hearing organized by the NAACP’s National Task Force for Quality.

The task force was created in October after board members approved a moratorium on expanding public charter school funding until safeguards are in place to provide better transparency regarding accountability, and to prevent cases of fraud and mismanagement.

The hearing for the NAACP Taskforce Florida Hearing on Quality Education and Hosted by Florida State Conference NAACP will be on Friday, January 27, 2017  at the Rosen Centre Hotel, 9780 International Drive, Orlando, FL beginning at 2 p.m.      

The first task force hearing was held in early December in New Haven, CT and the second on Jan. 10 in Memphis, TN. Future hearings are planned in Detroit, MI; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY and New Orleans.

Educators, administrators, parents, students, elected officials, and education policy experts from throughout Florida, and NAACP officials from around the nation will participate in the hearing.

"The issue of school funding and accountability are not just Florida or Orlando issues, but issues which affect our communities around the nation. We owe it to our communities to take a deep look at the issues facing public schools as well as the pros and cons of charter schools," said Adora Obi Nweze, NAACP Task Force member and President of the NAACP’s Florida State Conference.

Invited key participants include:

• Chancellor Herschel Lyons, Florida Department of Education
• Randi Weingarten , President, American Federation of Teachers
• James Hare, President and Chief Technology Officer , Wayne State University Research Park  Detroit, Michigan
• Dr Karega Rausch, Vice President , Research and Evaluation NACSA, Chicago, IL
• Hilary Shelton, Senior Vice President, NAACP Washington Bureau
• Victor Goode, Interim Director, NAACP Education Department
• Rev/Dr. Russell Meyer , Executive Director, Florida Council of Churches
• Robert Runcie, Superintendent Broward County Schools, Broward County, FL
• Joanne McCall, President, Florida Education Association ( Affiliate of AFT and NEA)
• Atty. Jodi Siegel, Southern Legal Counsel
• Dr. Rosa Castro Feinberg, Florida League of United Latin  American Citizens ( LULAC)
• Brendien Mitchell, Member, NAACP  National Board of Directors; President , Youth and College Division  FL State Conference
• Jianna Green , Former,  Charter and Public School Student
• Chenoah Rucker, President , Marion County Youth Council  Ocala, FL
• David L. Watkins, EdS, Director, Equity and Academic Attainment Broward County Schools , Broward County , FL
• Dr. Amanda Wilkerson, Post Doctoral Associate Urban Teacher Initiatives Program Director College of Education and Human Performance University of Central Florida
   

National NAACP Leadership and other notables include:

• Roslyn Brock, Chairman, NAACP National  Board of Directors
• Adora Obi Nweze, Member, NAACP National Board of Directors, President, NAACP Florida State Conference, Member, NAACP Quality Education Taskforce
• Minister Jabari Paul, Member , NAACP Florida Quality Education Hearing Planning Committee
• Kran Riley, Area Director, NAACP FL State Conference
• Atty. David Honig, Special Counsel, NAACP FL State Conference
• Dr. Barbara Jenkins School Superintendent, Orange County Schools
• Bruce Antoine, FL State Representative District 46, Orlando, FL
• Alice Huffman , Member, NAACP National Board of Directors ; President, NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference; Chair, NAACP Quality Education Taskforce
• Leon W. Russell, Vice Chairman, NAACP  National  Board of Directors
• Presiding- Dr. Shirley B. Johnson, Chair, Education Committee , NAACP FL State Conference; President, NAACP Miami-Dade Branch                   

“Our goal is bringing people from our community together from both sides, so we can better understand the impact of charters on school funding and be sure that we have a clear say in the ways that decisions about public schools are made,” said Alice Huffman, chairman of the task force and president of the California State Conference of the NAACP.

Visitors who wish to speak at the hearing are asked to pre-register before the session begins. To accommodate the public, individual speakers may be asked to adhere to a time limit or to appoint a representative to speak on behalf of a group.  

(Washington, DC) - The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund (LDF) deplores the shocking video showing a police officer violently assaulting and removing a student from a public school classroom in Columbia, South Carolina. While more details emerge about this troubling video, what is clear is that it shows a disturbing and violent interaction between a white male school police officer and a young African-American female. We urge a full and thorough investigation into not only this incident, but also into the history of use of force by school police in the district.

Furthermore, we are concerned that we learned of this incident from what appears to be a student video. Teachers must be properly trained to promptly report incidents of police abuse of students.

LDF has long advocated for eliminating police presence in K-12 grades because police dramatically increase the criminalization of students of color. Janel George, LDF's Senior Education Counsel, stated, “This horrific video represents the problem with police in schools in its starkest terms. Police should simply not have a regular presence in an educational environment." LDF calls for a full investigation of the incident and policing practices in this school district.

Organizational records and personal papers offer unique and varied perspectives on the 20th century fight for freedom

ANN ARBOR, MI – ProQuest continues to advance the study of the civil rights movement in America. The company has digitized the papers of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), making their organizational records and their leaders’ personal papers accessible to researchers through the renownedHistory Vault collection Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century. The digitization of SNCC and CORE papers enables researchers to access documents from all four leading organizations in the U.S. civil rights movement. ProQuest has also digitized the papers of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Read CORE’s instructions for interstate bus riders on the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation and other SNCC and CORE documents here: http://bit.ly/SNCC-COREPapers.

Founded in 1942 and inspired by Mahatma Gandhi in India, CORE set the tone for non-violent protest in the civil rights movement and placed in motion milestone events that focused the nation on social injustice. Working with the Wisconsin Historical Society, ProQuest has digitized records and papers from three key decades of the group’s history.  “From their emergence from the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Chicago in the early 1940s, through the Freedom Rides and the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project in the 1960s, the CORE records document the important role that committed pacifists played in the greatest social movement of the 20th century,” said Matt Blessing, State Archivist and Administrator for the Library-Archives, Wisconsin Historical Society. “Its records form one of the cornerstone research collections within the Wisconsin Historical Society’s vast Civil Rights archives. For over 40 years nearly every major scholar of the Civil Right movement has utilized the records of CORE and other grassroots collections preserved by the WHS. We are pleased to share this essential collection with an even larger audience.”

Just as influential in the movement was SNCC. It was formed in early 1960, sparked when a group of black college students from North Carolina A&T University staged an impromptu sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter where they had been denied service. The group’s original mission was to coordinate the wave of sit-ins that followed in college towns across the South. Over the next 8 years, SNCC sent its leaders to some of the most segregated areas of the South as they sought to cultivate local leaders, most famously during Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964. In the early 1970s, the King Center assembled, preserved and promoted the group’s records, enabling researchers to understand SNCC’s significant role in the successful efforts to challenge the traditions of racism, inequality and the issues of Jim Crow.

“These files have been frequently consulted for over 30 years by researchers seeking a comprehensive look at the broad, ambitious and revolutionary activities of SNCC’s valiant and dedicated members,” said Cynthia Patterson Lewis, Director of Archives, King Library & Archives, The King Center. “The SNCC records provide an important base of information and an essential bridge to the personalities, the relational perspectives and the impressive aspects of its varied activities. It is a ‘must’ reference for civil rights scholarship.

Working in partnership with organizations and museums holding original documents, ProQuest makes their carefully curated collections more accessible to researchers around the world, driving new insights in the historical record. In addition to the SNCC and CORE records, this newest Black Freedom module also contains four collections from the Chicago History Museum: the Africa related papers of Claude Barnett; the papers of Congressman Arthur Mitchell; Heather Booth’s Papers on her participation inMississippi Freedom Summer; and the records of the CORE’s Chicago chapter. “Some of the most highly-requested material in our research collection is now a part of Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century,” said Gary T. Johnson, President, Chicago History Museum.  “ProQuest is a dream come true for a museum whose mission is ‘sharing stories.’ It is humbling to know that when our own building closes for the day, the History Vault is open and researchers have the tools they need to explore our content. ProQuest has become indispensable to the study of history in America.”

The CORE and SNCC archives, and the Chicago History Museum collections, are joined by the papers of the pioneering Black Power thinker, Robert F. Williams, to create the Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Organizational Records and Personal Papers, Part 2, a key element in ProQuest’s large collection of resources designed to improve research outcomes for those studying the American civil rights movement. The company has created digital paths that unlock a variety of unique primary sources including Southern plantation records, key documents from the Black Abolitionist Movement and has developed broad resources such as Black Studies Center and ebook collections centered on Black History.

To learn more visit www.proquest.com.

More than 1,000 Participants Expected During Four Days of Action to Demand Justice for Mike Brown and Continue the Nationwide Movement Against Police Violence

**www.FergusonOctober.com**

#FergusonOctober #LiveFree

Ferguson, MO—Hundreds of interfaith clergy members and seminarians from the PICO National Network, Sojourners, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and many more will join thousands of people from across the country who are heading to St. Louis this weekend to support local residents, activists and clergy organizing a series of protests, rallies and events entitled,“Ferguson October: A Weekend of Resistance.” The weekend actions follow more than 60 days of sustained local protests following the killing of Mike Brown by Officer Darren Wilson, the refusal to arrest or charge him, and the hyper militarized and unconstitutional response to peaceful protests (full schedule of faith events listed below).

Clergy leaders and religious organizers from multi-faith and multi-racial backgrounds are firm in their belief that police brutality and police homicide are an unconscionable moral issue, plaguing both Ferguson and communities across the country, as seen in the senseless police brutality that killed John Crawford in Ohio, Eric Garner in New York, and so many others.

"The waters of injustice and racism have been rushing and hidden behind a make shift dam in the state of Missouri and America since the abolishment of slavery,” said Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, Pastor at Quinn Chapel AME Church in Jefferson City, MO. “The tragic circumstances surrounding Michael Brown's death and the aftermath provide glaring evidence that the dam is broken. It is a moral imperative that demands a response from the faith community. The prophet Micah asked, ‘What does GOD require? To do justice (Micah 6:8).’ Justice requires action and GOD requires justice. There is a clarion call for clergy to stand with Ferguson and until all of GOD's children have justice."

“Standing on the steps of the Old Court House in St Louis the night before the funeral of Michael Brown, we stopped protesting and prayed quietly for his family and for the families of so many black men who have died from police and gun violence,” said Rabbi Susan Talve with the Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis. “Today I stand with the St. Louis faith community to lift up the voices of young leaders who tell us that their lives matter.”

“The faith community is standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ferguson in one of the defining civil rights moments of our generation,” said Rev. Deth Im, Assistant Director of Training and Development with PICO National Network. “As people of faith, we have a moral obligation to demand human dignity, respect, peace, and justice when people are being abused. All God’s children have the right to thrive.”

“Repentance is a powerful theme throughout the Bible. It isn’t just about admitting wrongdoing but also committing to making changes that prevent further harm from being done. While many have lamented the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, there remains little evidence that public officials in Missouri have the courage to alter their policies and behavior to prevent future injustices,” said Jim Wallis, President and Founder of Sojourners. “I’m coming to Ferguson because repentance has not happened there yet and the faith community won’t rest until it does.”

"The courageous stance of black youth in Ferguson has challenged the church to stand with them against police brutality. They are the leaders we have been waiting for,” said the Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, Freeman Fellow with the Fellowship of Reconciliation. “We are called to Ferguson to stand with the people because anything less is heresy.”

Since August, faith leaders have been on the ground in Ferguson working with communities to support and amplify a long overdue conversation about policing and criminal justice. All activities are specifically shaped seeking justice for Mike Brown, and calling for the larger systemic reforms needed in order to ensure full dignity and respect in our communities of color through the accountability of police by local community review boards, and the transformation of national standards of policing. (click here for a full list of demands from the Organization for Black Struggle and the Hands Up, Don’t Shoot Coalition).

For updates, a full schedule of events, and compete list of endorsers, visit www.FergusonOctober.com

Schedule of Faith Events

Sunday, October 12

Event #1

WHAT: National Hands Up Worship Services

WHEN & WHERE: Services across the U.S.

WHERE: Locations & Times across the country

Event Highlights & Featured Speakers: Events at dozens of houses of worship across the country, declaring together that interfaith communities are working, praying and voting to create a nation that will no longer tolerate the violence, systemic injustice and marginalization suffered by poor people and people of color in our communities.

Event #2

WHAT: Mass Meeting on Ferguson: An Interfaith Service

WHEN: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE: St. Louis University's Chaifetz Arena, 1 S Compton Ave, St Louis, MO 63103

*To schedule interviews contact Keiller MacDuff 202-679-2236.

Event Highlights & Featured Speakers:

• Dr. Cornel West (Keynote Speaker), public intellectual, activist, author;

• Jim Wallis, President and Founder of Sojourners;

• Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, Freeman Fellow, Fellowship of Reconciliation  

Monday, October 13

WHAT: Moral Monday March: Part of the Ferguson October Day of Civil Disobedience

WHEN: 10 AM-12:00 PM

WHERE: Wellspring United Methodist , Ferguson, MO United States

Photo:  The Rickey Smiley Morning Show