Political Action Committee [2 of 2]

              THE NAACP M-PAC
PROGRAM
"We must work the works of him who
sent me, while it is day; night comes,
when no one can work"
The action verb IMPACT means to
press together and to strike forcefully
against one thing or another. The acronym for the NAACP's Membership and
Political Action Program in the Church is
NAACP M-PAC
In 1981, Janice Johnson Washington,
the NAACP National Membership Director, conceived and developed the
NAACP M-PAC Program for NAACP
Branches as one program that they could
use to work effectively with the Black
Church and the NAACP's Political Action
Program.
The purpose of the NAACP's M-PAC
program is to bring together the NAACP,
the Black Electorate, and the Black
Church to form a pact and do like the
action verb (impact), press together and
strike forcefully in every community in
America for racial justice.
The NAACP has a half million
members and is working toward a million members. The Black/Electorate in
America is at least nine (9) million
strong with a potential of sixteen'(16)
million registered voters, and the Black
Church in its two largest denominations
(Baptist and Methodist) has over ten
(10) million members. On any given
Sunday at least one third of this number
is assembled in churches across the
country.
The NAACP 2000 branches ha.ve been
asked to organize local NAACP M-PAC
programs to accomplish three main
objectives.
1. increase the NAACP membership
2. increase voter registration, education and get out the vote in the
black community
3. to motivate the black church in the
community to provide spiritual and
moral leadership for racial justice
The local branch NAACP M-PAC program should be active throughout the
year working on local issues that it can
have an impact on. It is most important
for the NAACP M-PAC committee to be
especially active for city, county, and
state elections, and of course, the
national presidential election.
In 1985, the NAACP Membership Division started its recognition program of
the NAACP M-PAC Churches. Special
awards and certificates are given each
year to the churches who adopt the
NAACP M-PAC program of enrolling
NAACP members and registering voters
in the church congregation.
At the NAACP 78th Convention in
New York City last year the top NAACP
M-PAC Churches were New Birth Baptist
Church, Dallas, Texas, Rev. George
Pryor, Pastor and Mt. Sinai Baptist
Church, Dallas, Texas, Dr. U. S. Cornelius, Pastor. Other winning M-PAC
Churches in previous years have been
Second Baptist Church, Los Angeles,
California, Dr. Thomas Kilgore, Pastor
and Bethel Mission Baptist Church, Tallahassee, Florida, Rev. Herbert C. Alexander, Pastor.
Jesus accepted seriously the urgency
of his earthly ministry when he said:
"I must work the works of Him Who
Sent me, while it is day, night comes
when no one can work." John (9:4)
Jesus felt a powerful compelling urge to
forth rightly, dynamically and positively
face the problems of his earthly ministry.
Like him, the NAACP M-PAC Program
gives us that opportunity to "work the
works of him who sent us, while it is
day" for racial justice now.
The NAACP, the Black Electorate and
the Black Church have in the past, is
today, and will in the future have a great
impact advancing the cause of freedom
for all.
NAACP BRANCHES CONTINUE
REGISTRATION EFFORTS
North Broward and Fort
Lauderdale, Florida Branches
The North Broward County Branch
and Fort Lauderdale Branch registered
twelve hundred thirty-five persons
(1,235) in a coalitional effort during
their first month's campaign.
South Carolina State Conference
Sets Pace for
NAACP Branches in State
The Voter Education Department participated in two Voter Action training
sessions sponsored by the South Carolina
State Conference of Branches. The
second, a coalitional effort was the
result of "A Call" issued by Dr. William F.
Gibson, Chairman, National Board of
Directors, NAACP and President. South
Carolina State Conference of Branches.
In his letter to organizations across the
state to attend "A Conference" to
address the 1980s Black Political-
Economic Problems in South Carolina,
Dr. Gibson likened this "Call" to the
"Call" by the founding fathers of the
NAACP in 1909.
Over three hundred persons attended
the Conference representing NAACP
Branches as well as social and civic
organizations from across the state. The
workshop session on political action
addressed voter registration and issue
education. Following this conference,
workshops are being held in every Congressional District in South Carolina to
provide hands-on training for Branches.
More than 6,200 have registered to date.
North Carolina Holds Voter
Registration and Voter Education
Activities
One of the target areas for North
Carolina, the Sixth Congressional District, showed a 7% increase in voter registration during the period of January 1 -
May 3, 1988. During the period 1,100
persons were registered in Greensboro
and High Point, 467 registered in Alamance County (Burlington) and 410 registered in Davidson County (Lexington).
In this target area, voter education was
an integral component of the effort.
Information was disseminated on the use
of new Shouptronic voting machines,
when and where to vote and how to
obtain transportation to the polls on
election day.
The NAACP hosted "speak outs"
where community leaders such as City
Council persons, NAACP officers and
other local leaders addressed students
on the campuses of North Carolina A & T
State University and Bennett College on
the importance of voting.
The voter registration-education components were linked wherever possible.
Literature was distributed by canvassers
as they canvassed targeted areas.
Registration was conducted at concerts, political forums, churches, shopping centers and several locations where
citizens congregated.
On Super Tuesday, Alamance County,
North Carolina had a fifty-nine percent
increase in turnout over the 1984 primary turnout.
VOTE — BE HEARD!!!