In Pursuit of a Greater NAACP Presence
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Washington Post; Page PG02
The time is now for an additional NAACP in Prince George's County.
Imagine 10,000 people attending the local NAACP annual Freedom Dinner. That is the vision of the Greater Beltway Coalition, which represents the many cities, towns and jurisdictions in the county.
Our journey started with the call to action in support of the Jena 6 in Louisiana. As members of the current NAACP branch, we felt the nation's most affluent and educated county of African Americans should be represented in Jena. We turned to the president of our local NAACP for leadership and support. Although other NAACP chapters throughout the nation could charter buses for hundreds of their members, we received only a $100 check from President June Dillard.
We realized then that we needed to step up and lead a new movement. Three organizations came together, raised $14,000 in 10 days and took two bus loads of leaders from Prince George's to Jena. While on the trip, we discussed civil rights, politics, education, crime, leadership, economic empowerment, mentoring our youth, voter education and why we, as a people, often meet and identify problems but never act.
We decided to harness that energy and take our ideas back home. A month later, we formed the New Leaders Coalition and an organizing committee, the Greater Beltway Coalition. Soon, the idea to create another NAACP branch was born.
For the past six months, members of the Greater Beltway Coalition have heard from residents throughout the county about the need for a more visible NAACP. They've told us there is no group to call about discrimination issues. Since 1997, our school system has ranked second from the bottom in state assessment tests; predatory lending and foreclosure rates are at an all-time high; some predominantly black towns are still dominated by white leadership on council and mayoral seats; election registration and turnout are embarrassing; and we hear taxicab drivers and other local minority businesses are being locked out of the $4 billion National Harbor waterfront development project.
The voice for our people has been silent for too long. A county of more than 850,000 residents is large enough for another branch. A national board member informed us that North Carolina has 14 branches and that Baltimore County, Chicago, New York and Detroit have more than one branch.
How could the chapters coexist? The leaders of each branch could come together as necessary and make decisions, similar to how county council and school board members represent their districts.
Our application and proposal, which was submitted in January, exceeded the required membership number needed for a new branch, and we provided a boundary map and explanation of how an additional chapter could benefit the county.
On March 1, Gerald Stansbury, president of the Maryland State Conference of NAACP Branches, called a meeting in Prince George's. Before then, he had bragged about our application, given us pointers and even assigned us a mentor. Yet, in the presence of his comrades at this meeting, he turned his back on us and recommended against our application request.
However, only the national board has the authority to grant or disapprove a prospective branch. Believing NAACP leaders follow their own laws and processes, we waited for our application to be heard and approved during the national board's quarterly meeting May 16. To our dismay, Director of Branch and Field Operations Nelson Rivers removed our application from the agenda.
That night, the NAACP elected 35-year-old Ben Jealous as the new president. He vows to increase the membership among 20- to 50-year-olds and entertain new ideas to embrace the younger generation. We wonder whether he knows that he missed such an opportunity.
As we prepare one last time to request that the national board approve our application in July, we ask county residents to have an open mind and the courage and vision to stand with us. For information, visit our Web site, http://www.greaterbeltwaycoalition.org, or contact us at contact@greaterbeltwaycoalition.org.
The Greater Beltway Coalition is leading an effort to establish a second NAACP chapter in Prince George's County. The essay below was submitted by the following members of its organizing committee: Walter Kirkland, Bowie; Thomas Felder, Bowie; Sandra Pruitt, Mitchellville; D. Michael Lyles, Bowie; Jerry McLaurin, Fort Washington; and Zalee Harris, Temple Hills.