Via: defendernetwork.com
The Ft. Bend/Missouri City Chapter of the NAACP has a new leader. Local attorney Keryl L. Douglas, who served as Former Executive Director of NAACP-Houston from 1990-1999, has become the new president.Douglas also served on the national NAACP staff as Regional Director of Region VI encompassing the five states of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New Mexico. Douglas, succeeds Atty. Ron Reynolds, who was recently elected State Representative and has begun his present important work with the 82nd State Legislature in Austin, Texas.
Douglas’ first order of business is to vastly increase the membership, committee activity, visibility, effectiveness and presence of the Branch. Building on the foundation laid by the former Presidents, she asserts, “We need ALL hands on deck in continuing the extraordinarily important work of the NAACP, which not only is still relevant and necessary, but also as needed now as it was at its inception, if not moreso.”
Douglas includes among her administration’s plans, “To invite and engage all sectors of the community to become involved, visible, motivated and mobilized in achieving advancement of all citizens and the communities in which they live and work; particularly the traditionally disenfranchised.”
“All people, regardless of age or station in life must be empowered, enlightened, and engaged. For example, we believe that all people are VIP’s – Very Important People; a priority goal for us is that all people also become VEP’s – Voter Empowered People. Achieving a responsible people empowered by voting, as well as a responsive people empowered by these voters – voters that will hold them accountable and remove them from power where and when they fail in this accountability,” Douglas said.
Traditional strategies will be combined with novel and innovative approaches to significantly advance progress in education and youth development, voter registration, economic development, veterans affairs and several other critical areas of focus for the NAACP. In the area of education for example, Douglas, Reynolds and the Executive Committee are already assertively on board the effort to insure that Willow Ridge High School remains open and regains it prior prominence and stability with proper support from the Fort Bend School District.
Douglas adds, “Young visionary ambassadors and champions who can actually effectively garner the attention and responsiveness of the younger generation – athletes, artists, rappers, entertainers, educators, elected officials – will be called upon to assure that all not only have the opportunity to contribute productively to advancement and progress, but also have the desire and inspiration to do so. We welcome and applaud Rapper Trae tha Truth, as well as his Community Outreach Director Tiffany Cofield, who have already committed to assist with new initiatives like “17 and Counting,” which will engage and increase the civic education and voter registration/participation of young people ages 17-24, as well as voter reenfranchisement and reentry of former felons, a national NAACP initiative. Increasing activity across all critical committees of the NAACP will be an immediate focus. To facilitate memberships, contributions, and volunteerism, our Branch is launching its new website in January, http://www.naacpmocity.org. Please join us in this very exciting and necessary civil rights movement.”
DEFENDER NEWS SERVICE
NAACP President plans to hold Obama Accountable Benjamin Jealous says he expects ‘traditional relationship’ with president. The NAACP’s new leader …- 2010 Year In Review: Top Stories: December The Texas Court of Civil Appeals granted a stay in a Houston …
Student gets week of detention for sweets A third-grade girl at a Fort Bend County elementary school was given …
