naacp-ms508-0208038-075 |
Previous | 75 of 145 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
|
This page
All
|
Loading content ...
NAACP OFFICIAL ADDRESSES SOUTHERN BLACK DEMOCRATS AT SUMMIT MEETING Earl T. Shinhoster, NAACP Southeast Regional Director, told an assembly of southern black democrat leaders that the new wave of harassment of black elected officials is misguided and called upon them to assist the NAACP in compiling factual data to prove that black leaders are being targeted inappropriately. "We appeal to you as leaders in your communities and political leaders in your areas to assist us by providing us with information on specific allegations of public corruption and criminal misconduct against black elected officials, stemming from the conduct of their office," Shinhoster stated. A preliminary investigation of black elected officials by the NAACP revealed that "black elected officials as a group are not engaged in widespread criminal activity," Shinhoster said. "However, a few widely reported cases in the media have tended to cast a negative image on black politicians and threatens the institution of black politics." Shinhoster said the media has fabricated stories on black elected officials under investigation for misconduct. "In every major city in this region and in many rural areas, allegations, indictments, trials and convictions of black elected officials have been found in print and electronic media, in the usual worst way." Quoting from a study titled "Harassment of Black Elected Officials: Ten Years Later," which was conducted by Dr. Mary Sawyers, Shinhoster said, "The incidence of black officials finding them- (continued on p. 7) 4 NAACP REMEMBERS KING DURING CELEBRATION (continued from p. 1) which are nothing more than a thinly-veiled attempt to purge black voters from the registration rolls. "We also have to be concerned about the campaign to discredit and harass black elected officials through trumped-up charges we are seeing around the country. This is related to the rising tide of incidents of racial violence on campuses and communities throughout the nation. "We can't tolerate these tactics. Too many of our brothers and sisters have suffered, bled and died for our citizenship rights. We owe them a debt so precious that it can never be repaid. At the very least, we have to increase our vigilance against racial violence, harassment and all attempts to dilute and obstruct black and minority political power. "We must also face up to our responsibility to do a better job of exercising our voting rights. The low voter turnout rates of recent years are an indictment not of the Constitution, but of the political illiteracy and apathy of millions of American voters of all races. Something is very wrong when a majority of American voters does not even bother to cast their ballots, as so often happens in off-year elections. "Thanks to the leadership of the NAACP and other black organizations, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of black elected officials in recent years. But black office holders are still less than 2 percent of all elected officials even though we are more than 12 percent of the population. It seems hard to believe that in 1987 only one black woman sits among the 535 members of the United States Congress. "To help rectify this injustice, we have to make a greater effort to campaign more vigorously for election law reforms and take full advantage of existing laws. This means utilizing every possible opportunity to set up voter registration tables in our churches, temples and schools, at concerts and athletic events, in our places of employment, as well as in unemployment offices and other social service agencies, to name just a few. "The variety of creative voter registration tactics we can employ is limited only by our imaginations "Each black organization must make it a point of honor to secure a significant increase in the number of people it registers and helps get to the polls. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, we must make politics a crusade and we should create a climate of scorn for those who don't care enough to vote. I'm glad that black organizations are helping young people get tough on drugs. But I think we need to get tough about the ballot as well. "In the 1980s we have heard a lot of preaching from both black and white leaders about the importance of self-help to the black community. Of course, there is nothing new about the gospel of self-help. It's always been an important part of our agenda. But let's be clear that the number one priority on any realistic agenda of self-help is political empowerment. "When we talk about fighting unemployment and poverty and the disintegration of black families, we are talking about political empowerment. When we talk about eradicating apartheid abroad and the rising tide of racism here at home, we are talking about political empowerment. When we talk about decent housing and education opportunities and doing something about the disgraceful infant mortality rate in the black community, we are talking about political empowerment. "I'm not saying political empowerment is the only approach to solving the complex problems we are facing in black America. But I'm saying that we can't do it without greater political empowerment. If we don't use the ballot, we can't expect the politicians to serve our interests. That's why we have to start organizing now for a record level black voter turnout in the 1988 presidential elections. "Some 22 years ago, back in 1965 we heard a voice on the steps of the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. We had just completed an historic march for voting rights, all the way from Selma. And on those steps we heard the clear voice of a prophet who urged us to march like Joshua and stride toward freedom. "And the prophet provided us with a mighty example which awakened the long- slumbering conscience of his nation, a magnificent dream of brotherhood and equality that will inspire future generations for as long as people seek the light of truth, the bread of justice and the sweet song of freedom." "Give us the ballot and we mill change the course of this nation." _ Manin Luther Kin& Jr 1963
Object Description
Title | Political Action Committee [2 of 2] |
Series | Series 2, NAACP, Charlotte |
Subseries | Subseries 4, Committees |
Digital Collection | Kelly Alexander, Sr. papers concerning the NAACP, 1948-1998 |
Creator | Alexander, Kelly M. |
Date Created | 1985-1990 |
Series Description | This series contains material related to the work of the NAACP in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Alexander family's involvement in the organization over the course of several decades. There is a wide variety of topics covered in the documents, including voting discrimination; the Freedom Fund; Youth Council activities; and correspondence with notable figures throughout the Charlotte area, including Alfred Alexander and Julius Chambers. |
Collection Description | This collection documents the activities of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), with an emphasis on the work and correspondence of Kelly Alexander, Sr. and his sons Kelly Alexander, Jr. and Alfred Alexander in Charlotte, North Carolina. The collection contains minutes, correspondence, reports, speeches, press releases, membership records, and a few photographs. Topics covered include school segregation, housing and employment discrimination, police misconduct, and the Charlotte Area Fund. |
Subjects--Names |
Alexander, Kelly M. Alexander, Kelly M., Jr., 1948- Alexander, Alfred L., 1952- |
Subjects--Organizations |
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Charlotte Branch. |
Subjects--Topics |
African Americans--North Carolina--Charlotte African Americans--Civil rights--North Carolina African Americans--Political activity--North Carolina--Charlotte Civil rights movements--North Carolina--Charlotte Civil rights workers--North Carolina--Charlotte African Americans--Housing--North Carolina--Charlotte Racism--Political aspects--North Carolina--Charlotte Race discrimination--North Carolina--Charlotte Police brutality--North Carolina--Charlotte Police misconduct--North Carolina--Charlotte |
Subjects--Locations |
Charlotte (N.C.)--Race relations--History--20th century Charlotte (N.C.)--Politics and government--20th century |
Coverage--Place |
Charlotte (N.C.) Mecklenburg County (N.C.) |
Box Number | 8 |
Folder Number | 38 |
Language | eng |
Object Type | Text |
Digital Format | Displayed as .jp2, uploaded as .tif |
Genre | manuscripts (document genre) |
Finding Aid | https://findingaids.uncc.edu/repositories/4/resources/701 |
Original Collection | Kelly Alexander, Sr. papers concerning the NAACP |
Digital Collection Home Page | http://digitalcollections.uncc.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16033coll20 |
Repository | J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) |
Digital Publisher | J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) |
Rights | These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study. The digital reproductions have been made available through an evaluation of public domain status, permissions from the rights' holders, and authorization under the law including fair use as codified in 17 U.S.C. section 107. Although these materials are publicly accessible for these limited purposes, they may not all be in the public domain. Users are responsible for determining if permission for re-use is necessary and for obtaining such permission. Individuals who have concerns about online access to specific content should contact J. Murrey Atkins Library. |
Location of Original | J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) |
Grant Information | Digitization made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. |
Identifier | naacp-ms508-0208038 |
Date Digitized | 2016-05-04 |
Rating |
Description
Title | naacp-ms508-0208038-075 |
OCR Transcript | NAACP OFFICIAL ADDRESSES SOUTHERN BLACK DEMOCRATS AT SUMMIT MEETING Earl T. Shinhoster, NAACP Southeast Regional Director, told an assembly of southern black democrat leaders that the new wave of harassment of black elected officials is misguided and called upon them to assist the NAACP in compiling factual data to prove that black leaders are being targeted inappropriately. "We appeal to you as leaders in your communities and political leaders in your areas to assist us by providing us with information on specific allegations of public corruption and criminal misconduct against black elected officials, stemming from the conduct of their office," Shinhoster stated. A preliminary investigation of black elected officials by the NAACP revealed that "black elected officials as a group are not engaged in widespread criminal activity," Shinhoster said. "However, a few widely reported cases in the media have tended to cast a negative image on black politicians and threatens the institution of black politics." Shinhoster said the media has fabricated stories on black elected officials under investigation for misconduct. "In every major city in this region and in many rural areas, allegations, indictments, trials and convictions of black elected officials have been found in print and electronic media, in the usual worst way." Quoting from a study titled "Harassment of Black Elected Officials: Ten Years Later," which was conducted by Dr. Mary Sawyers, Shinhoster said, "The incidence of black officials finding them- (continued on p. 7) 4 NAACP REMEMBERS KING DURING CELEBRATION (continued from p. 1) which are nothing more than a thinly-veiled attempt to purge black voters from the registration rolls. "We also have to be concerned about the campaign to discredit and harass black elected officials through trumped-up charges we are seeing around the country. This is related to the rising tide of incidents of racial violence on campuses and communities throughout the nation. "We can't tolerate these tactics. Too many of our brothers and sisters have suffered, bled and died for our citizenship rights. We owe them a debt so precious that it can never be repaid. At the very least, we have to increase our vigilance against racial violence, harassment and all attempts to dilute and obstruct black and minority political power. "We must also face up to our responsibility to do a better job of exercising our voting rights. The low voter turnout rates of recent years are an indictment not of the Constitution, but of the political illiteracy and apathy of millions of American voters of all races. Something is very wrong when a majority of American voters does not even bother to cast their ballots, as so often happens in off-year elections. "Thanks to the leadership of the NAACP and other black organizations, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of black elected officials in recent years. But black office holders are still less than 2 percent of all elected officials even though we are more than 12 percent of the population. It seems hard to believe that in 1987 only one black woman sits among the 535 members of the United States Congress. "To help rectify this injustice, we have to make a greater effort to campaign more vigorously for election law reforms and take full advantage of existing laws. This means utilizing every possible opportunity to set up voter registration tables in our churches, temples and schools, at concerts and athletic events, in our places of employment, as well as in unemployment offices and other social service agencies, to name just a few. "The variety of creative voter registration tactics we can employ is limited only by our imaginations "Each black organization must make it a point of honor to secure a significant increase in the number of people it registers and helps get to the polls. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, we must make politics a crusade and we should create a climate of scorn for those who don't care enough to vote. I'm glad that black organizations are helping young people get tough on drugs. But I think we need to get tough about the ballot as well. "In the 1980s we have heard a lot of preaching from both black and white leaders about the importance of self-help to the black community. Of course, there is nothing new about the gospel of self-help. It's always been an important part of our agenda. But let's be clear that the number one priority on any realistic agenda of self-help is political empowerment. "When we talk about fighting unemployment and poverty and the disintegration of black families, we are talking about political empowerment. When we talk about eradicating apartheid abroad and the rising tide of racism here at home, we are talking about political empowerment. When we talk about decent housing and education opportunities and doing something about the disgraceful infant mortality rate in the black community, we are talking about political empowerment. "I'm not saying political empowerment is the only approach to solving the complex problems we are facing in black America. But I'm saying that we can't do it without greater political empowerment. If we don't use the ballot, we can't expect the politicians to serve our interests. That's why we have to start organizing now for a record level black voter turnout in the 1988 presidential elections. "Some 22 years ago, back in 1965 we heard a voice on the steps of the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. We had just completed an historic march for voting rights, all the way from Selma. And on those steps we heard the clear voice of a prophet who urged us to march like Joshua and stride toward freedom. "And the prophet provided us with a mighty example which awakened the long- slumbering conscience of his nation, a magnificent dream of brotherhood and equality that will inspire future generations for as long as people seek the light of truth, the bread of justice and the sweet song of freedom." "Give us the ballot and we mill change the course of this nation." _ Manin Luther Kin& Jr 1963 |
Tags
Comments
Post a Comment for naacp-ms508-0208038-075