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NAACP: Steadfast & Immovable In 2018
By Lunette Howell and Betty Valentine
Toledo NAACP Editorial Team
First, we give honor to
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "The ultimate measure of a man
is not where he stands in moments of comfort and
convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy."
Our country is in controversy!
We are faced with the challenge of President Trump’s lack
of respect for African Americans and other races as he
continues to put our country at risk of war. As he makes
comments about wanting more people from Norway than Haiti
and Africa…….
What?? This is not
representative of what a president should say. Other
countries have lost respect for the United States. Our
country has taken steps backwards in time; prime example:
Charlottesville this past summer 2017. We MUST challenge
our state representatives and congressional representatives
to deal with this strong sense of hatred and racism in the
”White House,” These are more reasons to VOTE and make sure
we have leaders in Washington who are not afraid to speak
out.
Our plans for Toledo
Branch will begin with our Board retreat in January to set
strategic goals for 2018. We have a few things to achieve
immediately starting with plans to meet with our new mayor,
Wade Kapszukiewicz. We want to keep an open dialogue with
Toledo Police Department regarding initiatives for a safe
community. We want the mayor and TPD to be proactive and
interactive within our neighborhoods. We will continue to
work with other groups that help focus on education and
health. We support #Me Too initiatives for the women and men
who have been sexually harassed or assaulted.
NAACP continues to have
forums across the United States to engage our community and
address ongoing situations relating to our people. We will
provide details of actions that are important to us
regarding Health, Education, Voting and Civil Rights
nationally and how it will affect us locally. Our
universities and faith based organizations have been an
integral part of these discussions.
The mission of the NAACP
is to ensure the political, educational, social, and
economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate
race-based discrimination. Help us send a strong message to
Washington that change is needed NOW.
Civil Rights: If you have a civil rights issue you
may complete a form on our website. To report a civil rights
violation you are required to first file your complaint with
an agency or organization such as your employer or if
affiliated with a union, then your union representative or a
personal attorney. We do not handle domestic or criminal
situations and we cannot respond to situations you heard
with no facts and through a third party.
Resources to consider for Civil Rights violations are: (The
federal government is the primary resource responsible for
enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the
basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national
origin.)
-
Employment discrimination, contact the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
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Housing, credit, or employment discrimination, contact the
Ohio Civil Rights Commission
-
Education discrimination, contact the
United States Department of Education, Office of Civil
Rights
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Violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act, contact the United States
Department of Labor,
Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS)
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Complaints of individual discrimination can be filed with
the Coordination and Review Section at U.S. Department of
Justice, Civil Rights Division
-
Health care facility and Nursing Homes, Ohio Department of
Health (ODH), Bureau of Long Term Care Complaint Unit
If we review your case,
forms must be filled out completely and our Legal Redress
Team will contact you to set up an interview. We want to
assure you that we will be committed to doing all within our
power to fight against civil rights violations.
The necessity of voting:
Not only do large numbers of Americans fail to vote, but the
percentage of non-voters has grown over
time despite overall increases in education, age of
population, and income which should increase the number
of voters. In years past legal restraints were important
obstacles to voting. Most Americans were not actually
“included in the system” by being allowed to vote.
In the early days of the
Republic, all women and slaves and those men who did not own
property or were not of the proper religion were not allowed
to vote. That left perhaps as little as five or 10 percent
of the adult population as voters. As the nation grew, many
of the obstacles were removed, however many states continued
to require that one pay a poll tax – a fee usually several
dollars – when one registered.
It wasn’t until the 24th
Amendment prohibited this tax in national elections in 1964
and then the Supreme Court outlawed it for all elections in
1966 that this last obstacle was removed.
In addition, the number
of people eligible to vote has been expanding regularly for
four main reasons. First, the population has continued to
grow. Second, civil rights laws have allowed blacks to vote
more extensively in the South. Third, the rules and
regulations surrounding registration to become eligible to
vote have been simplified and reduced in most parts of the
country. And fourth, those 18 through 20 years old have been
given the right to vote. So why then are eligible voters so
reluctant to vote.
There is some evidence
that the major obstacles to voting are unconscious or
psychological rather than legal and include such things as
party, issues, and images of the candidates. Socioeconomic
issues also come into play. When we add these
characteristics together, the differences are quite
substantial. Wealthy, college-educated, older whites vote at
the rate of 91 percent, whereas young, poor, minority group
members who did not finish high school are estimated to vote
at the rate of 22 percent. The clear implication here is
that the successful white middle class is substantially
overrepresented in the active electorate and their
interests get a disproportionate amount of attention from
politicians.
So, does nonvoting matter?
The answer is yes. If those dissatisfied with the elected
officials running the country, voting at the primary level
to elect the candidates who best reflect our interests will
eventually place those candidates at higher levels in
government and insure the voting process is more fully
utilized to our advantage.
Maybe the appropriate
question to ask is not why people don’t vote, but why do
people vote? Based on the outcome from the 91 percent who
is estimated did vote, the answer speaks for itself.
Upcoming Meeting
Locations for 2018: February through April, 2018, 7:00
P.M. - The 2nd Tuesday of each month – Mott Branch Library
at 1085 Dorr Street….Join Us!!
Join the NAACP - $30/year for an Adult membership and
$15/year for youth under 20 years of age. View our website
at
www.naacptoledo.org. Email us at
info@toledonaacp.org. |
