On May 19, 2018, the Mississippi State Conference NAACP honored women of the MS NAACP at its annual Mother of the Year competition.  First organized in 1959 by former NAACP Field Director Medgar Evers, the Mother of the Year competition formally recognizes NAACP mothers for their diligent leadership and support of our organization throughout the year.

The event included a reception and remarks given by Attorney Tiffany Graves, Pro Bono Counsel for the Bradley Law Firm.  This year winners of the event included Carrie Magee, Forrest County NAACP branch, and Rosie Kersh, Smith County NAACP branch.  Other local branch Mother of the Year winners and state competition participants included Dilsie Flood, Biloxi NAACP Branch; Traycee Scott-Williams, Gulfport NAACP Branch; Jeanette Newton, Brookhaven NAACP Branch; and Roxie Brown, Jackson City NAACP Branch.

In 1980, Linda Speight had a strong desire to help alleviate the injustices that plagued her state and nation. After noticing the significant strides women and girls were making through the NAACP, Speight joined the organization in her home state of Wisconsin and has remained active, even after relocating from the Midwest to Mississippi in 2002.

When asked what impact she believes women have had on the organization since she joined almost four decades ago, Speight put it simply: “Women have always been a part of the movement, and even with the world the way it is now, women are still doing their part to find meaningful solutions to our universal problems.”

In 2015, Speight’s commitment to the causes of equality for women and girls and justice for all people earned her the appointment to Mississippi State Chair of the Women in NAACP, a title she still holds today. As state chair, she guides young women across the state as they mature personally and professionally. In this capacity, she is also able to enhance the leadership roles of women in various sectors of the association, a feat she is most proud of.

Speight says she and other women throughout the state are charged to serve, “with outstretched hands and open hearts to women and children.” The Women in NAACP operate with a collective understanding that their energies must be dedicated to eliminating society’s many struggles, and doing their best to not add to them.

In addition to her executive responsibility, she also serves as membership chair of the Jefferson Davis NAACP Branch, where she dedicates her time and resources to ensuring people in her community are informed and engaged in regard to the issues that affect their daily lives.

“If you love yourself and put God in everything you do, then you’re doing what’s most important,” Speight says. “We may not be able to change everything, but we will be able to change some things.”

For her selfless service and relentless pursuit of justice in the name of NAACP, Linda Speight has been named May member of the month.

Criminal Justice Reform in Mississippi

The Mississippi NAACP is taking on criminal justice reform.  A May 2018 report produced by the Mississippi Department of Corrections indicates that African Americans account for more than 61 percent of the 22,000 people incarcerated in the state’s public and private correctional facilities. “The rate of incarceration for African Americans in Mississippi is both alarming and disturbing”, said Mr. Charles Hampton, President of the MS NAACP. “The need for criminal justice reform is more critical now than ever, particularly because the rate of incarceration has grown over 300% within the last three decades, and Mississippi has consistently ranked among the highest for incarceration in the country” says President Hampton.

Understanding the need for radical criminal justice reform, MS NAACP and its partners like One Voice are working to inform the public discussion on criminal justice and build a cross-sector coalition of community members and community-based organizations to organize around this issue in local communities. In this process, the MS NAACP and our local branches will conduct grassroots civic engagement to aid in overhauling the state’s flawed criminal justice system.

To learn more about the fight for criminal justice reform and gain a better understanding of the need from a broader perspective, click the link below/above to listen to a series of criminal justice podcasts. Learn more.