[vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1519266182578{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”MS NAACP February 2018 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:44px|text_align:center|color:%231d2f4f|line_height:50px” google_fonts=”font_family:Arvo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”Making Headlines Across the State” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:28px|text_align:center|color:%231d2f4f|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Arvo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][grve_divider line_type=”double-line” padding_bottom=”25px”][vc_raw_html el_class=”nl-nav”]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[/vc_raw_html][grve_divider line_type=”double-line”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=”color” section_id=”leg-day”][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1519265172864{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”2018 Legislative Day” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:28px|text_align:left|color:%231d2f4f|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Arvo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]February 12, marked the 109th anniversary of the NAACP—an organization that began as a small group of activists in New York City and evolved into a political powerhouse of over a half million branches nationwide. The organization’s impact right here in Mississippi is evidenced by the myriad of notable leaders and activists like Dr. Gibert Mason, Medgar Evers, Delores Orey and Winson Hudson. With 112 branches in the state, the work of MS NAACP endures.

Continuing our storied legacy of fighting for justice and equality, MS NAACP hosted its Annual Legislative Day on Tuesday, February 13. State leaders and members gathered in the capital city to advocate for much needed policy reform in areas most pressing to people of color.

The day began at the Eudora Welty Library—a fitting forum to scrutinize the shadow of the state’s treatment of people of color—where members discussed strategies for the upcoming year and received an in-depth review of policies being pushed through the state legislature. Among the morning’s speakers were Nicole Porter, Director of Advocacy in the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit The Sentencing Project, State Senator Derrick Simmons (District 12) and State Representative Sonya Williams-Barnes (District 119).

The day was punctuated with a live press conference in the heart of the state Capitol building. Branch presidents and Youth and College Division members united on the second floor stairwell as State President Charles R. Hampton and Executive Director Dr. Corey Wiggins made a resounding call to action for lawmakers to fund the state’s public education system, rid the state flag of its divisive Confederate emblem, and eliminate the vicious cycle of mass incarceration and felony disenfranchisement.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][grve_single_image image=”12871″ image_size=”yes”][grve_single_image image=”12874″ image_size=”yes”][grve_single_image image=”12872″ image_size=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=”color” font_color=”#1d2f4f” bg_color=”#ffd249″ padding_top=”50px” padding_bottom=”50px” section_id=”enfranchisement”][vc_column width=”1/3″][grve_single_image image=”12886″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”The Fight for Enfranchisement” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:28px|text_align:left|color:%231d2f4f|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Arvo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]MS NAACP, One Voice and The Sentencing Project are fighting against felony disenfranchisement in Mississippi with a new report—Felony Disenfranchisement in Mississippi. Currently, more than 218,000 citizens in the state cannot vote due a felony conviction as defined by Mississippi law. An overwhelming 93 percent of these citizens are not incarcerated but are still deprived of the opportunity to participate in the electoral process.

This threefold collaboration imagines a Mississippi where a citizen can work to regain their civil rights and participate in the democratic process. The report outlines several examples of common sense policies that states across the U.S., including the border states of Alabama and Louisiana, have enacted to inform those convicted of crimes of their rights and to educate citizens on how to petition to regain suffrage.[/vc_column_text][grve_button align=”center” button_text=”Download Report” button_type=”outline” button_hover_color=”primary-2″ button_size=”large” button_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fnaacpms.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F02%2FFelony-Disenfranchisement-in-Mississippi.pdf||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row section_id=”member-spotlight”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”February Member Spotlight” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:28px|text_align:left|color:%231d2f4f|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Arvo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]Marquise Hunt, Youth and College Division President
Tougaloo College Sophomore

“I don’t want people to forget there is real work to be done.”

In August 2016, Marquise Hunt made a journey familiar to freedom fighters, traveling from Portsmouth, Virginia to Tougaloo, Mississippi. With an infectious fire that was ignited when he was a junior in high school, Hunt joined his collegiate NAACP chapter and was elected president in the second semester of his freshman year.

During his short time in campus leadership, Hunt inspired hundreds of students to pinpoint issues that were most pressing to them and led efforts to mobilize his peers to design and implement action plans to make meaningful and lasting change within their institution and in their communities.

“Many young people join organizations seeking only the social aspect,” says Hunt. “I seek to change that dynamic. I don’t want people to forget there is real work to be done.”

In November 2017, Hunt was elected Youth and College Division President of the Mississippi State Conference. In the first two months of his term, he has worked to improve his skills as servant leader and connect students in high schools, colleges and communities across the state.

Hunt says that it is because of the NAACP that he was able to recognize and tap into his full potential. “Not only am I and my peers able to see the many issues we face today in Mississippi and in America, but because of NAACP, we are able to know what we as a people can do to resolve them,” Hunt adds.

Through his position as Youth and College Division President, Hunt wants to encourage young people like himself to become active in NAACP and employ their unique talents to ensure justice and equality for all.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_column_height=”equal-column” tablet_portrait_equal_column_height=”inherit”][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1519267039149{padding-top: 50px !important;background-color: #1d2f4f !important;}” font_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text]Fired Up and Ready to Go!
MS NAACP Youth and College Division

The MS NAACP Youth & College Division is an auxiliary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The Division welcomes young people up to age 25 to join at any college/university chapter or within any community chapter in the state.

Membership with a Crisis subscription is $15 and general membership is $10. Visit www.naacp.org/youth-college for more information.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1519267090790{padding-top: 50px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;background-color: #ffd249 !important;}” font_color=”#1d2f4f”][vc_custom_heading text=”Honoring a Legacy of Leadership” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:28px|text_align:left|color:%231d2f4f|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Arvo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]We are proud to announce our first annual Legacy Reception honoring National President and CEO Derrick Johnson. Johnson served for 15 years as Mississippi State Conference President before ascending to the highest national office in 2017.

The reception is scheduled for Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. at M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge located at 1072 John R. Lynch Street in Jackson. For more information or to RSVP for this event, contact Monica McInnis
at (601) 353-6906 or monicamcinnis@bellsouth.net.

Sponsorships are available to support this and other MS NAACP events. To discuss sponsorship opportunities, call the state office at (601) 353-8452 or send an email to info@naacpms.org.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row section_id=”reading”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1519268069036{padding-top: 50px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”What We’re Reading” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:28px|text_align:center|color:%231d2f4f|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Arvo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]

Join the wave and see what we’re reading this month!

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][grve_single_image image_type=”image-link” image=”12880″ align=”left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mahoganybooks.com%2F9780807012826||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]The Radical King by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Every year, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is celebrated as one of the greatest orators in US history, an ambassador for nonviolence who became perhaps the most recognizable leader of the civil rights movement. But after more than forty years, few people appreciate how truly radical he was.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][grve_single_image image_type=”image-link” image=”12879″ align=”left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLocal-People-Struggle-Rights-Mississippi%2Fdp%2F0252065077||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi (Blacks in the New World) First Edition by John Dittmer

Dittmer’s stirring history of the struggle for racial justice in Mississippi tells the story in all its grim, often shocking detail. He delivers a damning indictment of the Kennedy administration for its half-hearted policies and failure to enforce the Supreme Court’s ban on segregation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=”color” font_color=”#1d2f4f” bg_color=”#ffd249″ padding_top=”50px” padding_bottom=”50px” section_id=”adv-act”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Advocacy and Action” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:28px|text_align:left|color:%231d2f4f|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Arvo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]As the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, we will continue to advocate for equal protection of all citizens without discrimination or bias. In alignment with the NAACP Constitution, two of the principal objectives of our organization shall be:

• To seek enactment and enforcement of federal, state, and local laws securing civil rights
• To educate persons as to their constitutional rights and to take all lawful action to secure the exercise thereof, and to take any other lawful action in furtherance of these objectives, consistent with the NAACP’s Articles of Incorporation and this Constitution.

It was reported this month that the body of a Scott County man, Willie Andrew Jones, Jr., was found hanging from a tree. Officials of the MS NAACP are petitioning the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct an extensive and transparent investigation.

Click the button below to read a statement from the Office of the MS NAACP.[/vc_column_text][grve_button align=”center” button_text=”Read the Statement” button_type=”outline” button_hover_color=”primary-2″ button_size=”large” button_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fnaacpms.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F02%2FMS-NAACP-Statement-on-Scott-County-Incident.pdf||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][grve_single_image image=”12888″ el_class=”adv-img”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row section_id=”in-the-news”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”NAACP in the News” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:28px|text_align:center|color:%231d2f4f|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Arvo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]

Join the wave and see what we’re reading this month!

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]FBI Investigates Hanging of Black Man from Tree in MS
CBS News – February 16, 2018
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-investigates-willie-andrew-jones-jr-hanging-black-man-tree-mississippi/

Gang Bill Could Increase Prison Costs, Disparately Affect African-Americans
Jackson Free Press – February 15, 2018
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2018/feb/15/gang-bill-could-increase-prison-costs-disparately-/

Gang Bill Faces Criticism from Black Caucus
Clarion Ledger – February 14, 2018
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2018/02/14/gang-bill-faces-criticism-black-caucus-other-organizations/338166002/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Trump’s Absence Means Black Lawmakers Will Now Celebrate New Civil Rights Museum
Clarion Ledger – February 12, 2018
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/12/trump-absence-means-black-lawmakers-now-celebrate-new-civil-rights-museum/324882002/

Medgar Evers’ Home a Step Closer to Becoming a National Monument
Clarion Ledger – February 7, 2018
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/07/medgar-evers-home-step-closer-becoming-national-monument/312921002/

Lawmakers Want to Turn Home of Civil Rights Icon Medgar Evers into National Monument
USA Today – February 6, 2018
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/02/06/lawmakers-want-turn-home-civil-rights-icon-medgar-evers-into-national-monument/313105002/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]