PRESS STATEMENT - DON’T CELEBRATE THE KING WITHOUT DOING THE WORK OF THE KINGDOM!
“On Monday, January 17, voices from every corner of America will proclaim how much they love, and revere Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Politicians from Republicans, Democrats, and Independents will attend worship services, pay community tributes, send out press releases and make pompous statements about how much he did for this country. They will openly and unashamedly declare how great he was and how much he fought for racial equality. Many will quote passages from his historic I Have A Dream speech (the only one unfortunately in which most are even familiar), as they consistently work to turn it into a nightmare. In approaching the King holiday, it is important to remember Dr. King was not just a dreamer. He was a doer. He was a worker. He did not stand on ceremony. He stood on sacrifice. Please do not leave him perched on a mountain top dreaming. He must be brought back down into the valley, still working.”
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*Image Copyright Harry Benson
PRESS STATEMENT - MICHIGAN STATE POLICE MUST DO BETTER!
“Today’s announcement by the Michigan State Police of racial and ethnic disparities in the frequency of traffic stops impacting African Americans is revealing but not surprising. Many of us in the civil rights community have been saying this for years. It is also an indication of what is happening in many local police departments across the state. Prior to COVID-19 on any Monday in court rooms across Michigan related to traffic citations and arrests, they were often filled with African Americans and people of color.”
PRESS STATEMENT - THERE IS HOPE: BUT WE STILL NEED A VIDEO!
“One must ask why does it take a video to bring justice in the case of the death of African Americans? It was a video that pulled back the cover in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. It was a video that pulled back the cover of the murder in the case of George Floyd. Emmett Till had no video. Sandra Bland had no video. Trayvon Martin had no video. Breonna Taylor had no video. Kevin Strickland who served 43 years in a Missouri correctional center for a crime he did not commit, had no video. “
PRESS STATEMENT - BLACK PASTORS NOT WANTED IN THE COURTROOM PARTICULARLY IF YOU’RE COMING TO PRAY!
“The Black pastor in America must be one of the most dangerous and threatening non-violent forces in our nation. All he or she needs to do is simply show up and sit at the back of a Georgia courtroom. An earthquake must certainly erupt if he comforts a family going through a living hell caused by the tragic death of their loved one.”
PRESS STATEMENT - THE TRIAL OF AHMAUD ARBERY PROVES AGAIN THAT JUSTICE IS NOT BLIND!
“Unfortunately, there was no video for Emmett Till. There was no video for James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. There was no video for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There was no video for Sandra Bland. There is no video for Breonna Taylor. But even when we have the video, Lady Justice still manages to pull down her blindfold.”
PRESS STATEMENT – PASSING OF GENERAL COLIN POWELL
“Today we mourn the loss of one of the nation’s greatest soldiers and ultimately a grand statesman, General Colin Powell. From the streets of Harlem to the halls of the Pentagon, he was America’s first Black National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State. He will long be remembered for his steadfastness on the battlefield and his dedication to democracy on the fields throughout our land.”
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REDISTRICTING OR A 3rd RECONSTRUCTION?
“We do not want our votes split up forcing us to give up seats earned by the blood, sweat, and tears of voters down through the years. These measures were designed historically to facilitate greater representation by people of color. They attempted to expand the right to vote not to take away the gains that we have made. We call upon the Michigan Citizens Redistricting Commission to bring forward maps that include us, not dilute us.”
PRESS STATEMENT - SECURE MICHIGAN VOTE…A TRICK OR TREAT!
“Halloween is coming early this year. The State Board of Canvassers have granted Secure MI Vote a bogus approval for a misleading petition drive. This petition basically restricts Michiganders right to vote. The approval to get 340,047 signatures would ban election officials from mailing absentee ballots to every voter of Michigan unless requested. It would result in more harsh restrictions of voter ID laws. This is no more than a Republican trick designed to steal the treat of the citizens right to exercise their vote.”
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND SPECIAL GUEST ANNOUNCED FOR 66TH ANNUAL FIGHT FOR FREEDOM FUND DINNER
“Added to the exciting lineup is Hassan Jaber, President & CEO, Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), as the James Weldon Johnson Lifetime Achievement Awardee. Jaber will be recognized for his 16 years of exemplary leadership and service as an inspiration to generations of individuals focused on improving quality of life.
In addition to Jaber, Zania Alaké, Singer, Songwriter and Spring 2021 Top 20 Finalist on “The Voice,” will be a special guest for the Freedom Fund Dinner. Alaké will perform “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” and the national anthem. “
PRESS STATEMENT – BEAT DOWN AT THE BORDER – HAITIANS DESERVE MUCH BETTER!
“The influx of immigrants to Del Rio, Texas, most of them Haitians, has gripped the attention of the world. Graphic scenes of Haitians being run down by border patrol agents on horseback, using their lariats like a bull whip conjure up images of American enslavement. It reminds us of a period in our nation’s history filled with pain, blood, agony, and human degradation. Escaped Africans were often pursued by slavecatchers on horseback carrying bull whips in one hand, while guns were strapped to their side ready to be drawn by the other. America must do better than this.”
HUD SECRETARY MARCIA L. FUDGE TO KEYNOTE 66TH ANNUAL FIGHT FOR FREEDOM FUND DINNER
“After nearly two years of COVID-19, we are pleased to begin a new journey along the march towards freedom and equity at one of the nation’s most iconic civil rights events called the Detroit NAACP Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner. It is scheduled for Sunday, October 3, 5pm, at the TCF Center.”
PRESS STATEMENT - HOW TO KILL A DEMOCRACY
. Last November, the American people by a majority of 7 million votes elected a new president. Joseph R. Biden got 81 million votes to Donald J. Trump’s 74 million. It was the highest voter turnout since 1900. Despite this, American democracy has been called into question. Voters have been made to believe fraud was committed, machines were rigged, and illegal ballots were cast. Phony voter audits have been called for in the states of Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and even attempts have been made in Michigan. The U.S. Justice Department warned, “that some jurisdictions conducting them may be using or proposing to use procedures that risk violating the Civil Rights Acts.”
PRESS RELEASE - WE TOO HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT ACTIONS!
“The recent knockout of a young black man by a Detroit police officer, as he walked backwards in Downtown Detroit raises very serious concerns. These concerns go directly to police policy and protocol. Does this reflect the kind of community policing so desperately needed in cities across the country?”
PRESS STATEMENT - THE PROPOSED REVISIONS OF THE DETROIT CITY CHARTER
“The NAACP has long since its inception believed in the fundamental right to vote. It is one of the pillars on which the organization stands. In that spirit, the Detroit Branch NAACP must oppose any attempt which may directly or indirectly impede, negate, or eliminate the right of the people to cast their vote and exercise their constitutional rights. “
PRESS STATEMENT - LET’S GO BACK TO SCHOOL
The ability to train, inspire, and facilitate the dreams and aspirations of youth can’t ever be completely measured. Teachers are invaluable. Parents are the key to what their children will aspire to be. Schools are repositories for academic learning, social development, duty and responsibility, unity, and community. They help to establish both purpose and priorities.
PRESS STATEMENT: WE MUST PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE
“We are facing a political pandemic. We are facing a virus that is spreading like COVID-19 seeking to consume the very life out of our democracy in over 47 states. They have placed democracy on a ventilator that provides not greater access but rather a grand scheme to suppress the rights of a select group of Michiganders.”
PRESS STATEMENT - THE VIRUS OF VOTER SUPPRESSION IS NOW THE EPIDEMIC WITHIN OUR DEMOCRACY!
“Standing underneath the canvass of a notorious slave plantation in Wilkes County Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp and six white male Republicans signed into law a voter suppression bill. Among other things it makes it illegal to give food and water to Black people while standing in line to vote. The state of Florida under Governor Ron DeSantis is now considering the same law. It reminds one of the era when it was illegal to the point of death to give Black’s food, water, and shelter as they escaped from slavery to freedom. “
PRESS STATEMENT - DID THE MICHIGAN STATE POLICE LET THE DOGS OUT?!
“Perhaps the Michigan State Police (MSP) need to put some of their officers on a leash to prevent the dogs from chewing away at suspects entitled to apprehension and not digestion. State Trooper Parker Surbrook, in a horrific, inhumane demonstration of what not to do, has violated the ethics, and policies of the Michigan State Police.”
