NAACP DC Branch
General Body Meeting
100th Anniversary Kick-Off
Centennial Celebration
Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Assasination of Medgar Evers
"Remembering Medgar Evers"
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION WEEK
June 2, 2013 - June 13, 2013
June 3, 2013
100th Anniversary of the NAACP DC Branch
Chartered on June 3, 1913
June 4, 2013
A Discussion with Myrlie Evers
June 5, 2013
50th Anniversary of the Assasination of Medgar Evers
Arlington Cemetery
June 8, 2013
Day of Advocacy
June 13, 2013
General Body Meeting
NAACP Financial Freedom Center
1816 12th Street, NW
Washington, DC
7:00pm
Medgar Evers was a native of Decatur, Mississippi, attending school there until being inducted into the U.S. Army in 1943. Despite fighting for his country as part of the Battle of Normandy, Evers soon found that his skin color gave him no freedom when he and five friends were forced away at gunpoint from voting in a local election. Despite his resentment over such treatment, Evers enrolled at Alcorn State University, majoring in business administration. While at the school, Evers stayed busy by competing on the school's football and track teams, also competing on the debate team, performing in the school choir and serving as president of the junior class.He married classmate Myrlie Beasley on December 24, 1951, and completed work on his degree the following year. The couple moved to Mound Bayou, MS, where T.R.M. Howard had hired him to sell insurance for his Magnolia Mutual Life Insurance Company. Howard was also the president of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL), a civil rights and pro self-help organization. Involvement in the RCNL gave Evers crucial training in activism. He helped to organize the RCNL's boycott of service stations that denied blacks use of their restrooms. The boycotters distributed bumper stickers with the slogan "Don't Buy Gas Where You Can't Use the Restroom." Along with his brother, Charles Evers, he also attended the RCNL's annual conferences in Mound Bayou between 1952 and 1954 which drew crowds of ten thousand or more.
Evers applied to the then-segregated University of Mississippi Law School in February 1954. When his application was rejected, Evers became the focus of an NAACP campaign to desegregate the school, a case aided by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education 347 US 483 that segregation was unconstitutional. In December of that year, Evers became the NAACP's first field officer in Mississippi. After moving to Jackson, he was involved in a boycott campaign against white merchants and was instrumental in eventually desegregating the University of Mississippi when that institution was finally forced to enroll James Meredith in 1962.
In the weeks leading up to his death, Evers found himself the target of a number of threats. His public investigations into the murder of Emmett Till and his vocal support of Clyde Kennard left him vulnerable to attack. On May 28, 1963, a molotov cocktail was thrown into the carport of his home, and five days before his death, he was nearly run down by a car after he emerged from the Jackson NAACP office. Civil rights demonstrations accelerated in Jackson during the first week of June 1963. A local television station granted Evers time for a short speech, his first in Mississippi, where he outlined the goals of the Jackson movement. Following the speech, threats on Evers' life increased.
On June 12, 1963, Evers pulled into his driveway after returning from an integration meeting where he had conferred with NAACP lawyers. Emerging from his car and carrying NAACP T-shirts that stated, "Jim Crow Must Go", Evers was struck in the back with a bullet that ricocheted into his home. He staggered 30 feet before collapsing, dying at the local hospital 50 minutes later. Evers was murdered just hours after President John F. Kennedy's speech on national television in support of civil rights. Mourned nationally, Evers was buried on June 19 in Arlington National Cemetery and received full military honors in front of a crowd of more than 3,000 people, the largest funeral at Arlington since John Foster Dulles. The past chairman of the American Veterans Committee, Mickey Levine, said at the services, "No soldier in this field has fought more courageously, more heroically than Medgar Evers."
On June 23, Byron De La Beckwith, a fertilizer salesman and member of the White Citizens' Council and Ku Klux Klan, was arrested for Evers' murder. During the course of his first 1964 trial, De La Beckwith was visited by former Mississippi governor Ross Barnett and one time Army Major General Edwin A. Walker.
All-white juries twice that year deadlocked on De La Beckwith's guilt, allowing him to escape justice. In response to the murder and miscarriage of justice, musician Bob Dylan wrote the song "Only a Pawn in Their Game" about Evers and his assassin. Phil Ochs wrote the songs "Too Many Martyrs" and "Another Country" in response to the killing (Evers is also mentioned in the song "Love Me I'm a Liberal"). Matthew Jones and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Freedom Singers paid tribute to Evers in the haunting "Ballad of Medgar Evers." Malvina Reynolds mentioned "the shot in Ever's back" in her song "It isn't nice".
Evers' legacy has been kept alive in a variety of ways. In 1970, Medgar Evers College was established in Brooklyn, NY as part of the City University of New York. In 1983, a made-for-television movie, For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story starring Howard Rollins, Jr. was aired, celebrating the life and career of Medgar Evers, and on June 28, 1992, he was immortalized in Jackson with a statue.
In 1994, thirty years after the two previous trials had failed to reach a verdict, Beckwith was again brought to trial based on new evidence concerning statements he made to others. During the trial, the body of Evers was exhumed from his grave for autopsy, and found to be in a surprisingly excellent state of preservation as a result of embalming. Beckwith was convicted on February 5, 1994, after living as a free man for three decades after the murder. Beckwith appealed unsuccessfully, and died in prison in January of 2001. Before his body was reburied, owing to his excellent state of preservation, a new funeral was staged for Evers. This permitted his children, who were toddlers when he was assassinated and had very little memory of him, to have a chance to see him. The new funeral was covered on HBO's Autopsy series. The 1996 film Ghosts of Mississippi tells the story of the 1994 trial, in which a District Attorney's office prosecutor, Robert Delaughter, successfully retried the case, and won. Evers's wife, Myrlie, became a noted activist in her own right later in life, eventually serving as chairwoman of the NAACP. Medgar's brother Charles returned to Jackson in July 1963 and served briefly in his slain brother's place. Charles Evers remained involved in Mississippi Civil Rights for years to come. He resides in Jackson.
In 2001, Myrlie and Medgar's oldest son, Darrell Kenyatta Evers, died of colon cancer. Their two surviving children are Reena Denise and James Van.
DR. CARTER G. WOODSON
Father of Black History Month
Longtime NAACP DC Branch Member
Dr. Carter G. Woodson was one of the earliest members of the NAACP Washington, DC Branch. Carter G. Woodson is known as the Founder of Black History Month. He is a noted African-American Historian, Author, Journalist and the Founder of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH).
Carter G. Woodson was born December 19, 1875, the son of former enslaved Africans, James and Eliza Riddle Woodson. His father helped Union soldiers during the Civil War, and he moved his family to West Virgnia when he heard that Huntington was building a high school for blacks. Coming from a large, poor family, Carter Woodson could not regularly attend school. Through self-instruction, Woodson mastered the fundamentals of common school subjects by age 17. Dr. Woodson attended the University of Chicago, where he was awarded an A.B. and A.M. in 1908. He was a member of the historically black fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He completed his Ph.D. in history at Harvard University in 1912, where he was the second African American to earn a doctorate. His doctoral dissertation, The Disruption of Virginia, was based on research he did at the Library of Congress while teaching high school in Washington, D.C. After earning the doctoral degree, he continued teaching in the public schools, later joining the faculty at Howard University as a professor, where he served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and helped charter the Howard University NAACP College Chapter.
HELP THE CARTER G. WOODSON HOME!!!
Dr. Woodson directed ASALH's operations from his home located at 1538 Ninth Street, NW, Washington, DC, from 1915 until his death in 1950, and ASALH was headquartered in the building until 1970. The house was the center for educating the nation's history and culture. Working out of this building, Dr.Woodson managed ASALH's of African Americans to the day-to-day operations, published periodicals (the Negro History Bulletin and the Journal of Negro History), and operated a book publishing company (Associated Publishers), trained researchers and educators, and pursued his own research and writing about African American history.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson's home was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its national significance in African American cultural heritage. Now, as a result of legislation enacted in 2003, Dr.Woodson' s home will be established as a National Historic Site and visitor attraction operated by the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service. Dr. Woodson's home is the 389th site in the National Park System, and it is one of the 19 sites expressly dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of African American history.
The Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site is currently competing for a grant to assist with the renovation of Dr. Carter G. Woodson home on 9th Street NW. However they need the assistance of everyone across the nation to win the competition. Go to website and vote for the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site. Voting is open April 24th through May 10, 2013.
LINK TO VOTE: http://partnersinpreservation.com
NAACP 2013 National Convention
"We Shall Not Be Moved"
July 13 - 17, 2013
Orlando, FL
Purpose of The National Convention
The Annual Convention of the Association shall establish policies and programs of action for the ensuing year. All actions of the Convention on questions of policy and programs, which are not contrary to the Constitution, shall be binding on the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, the Officers and all Units, except as hereinafter provided. No resolution for change of policy or program of action shall be in order unless it shall have been favorably voted upon at regular legislative meetings of a Unit in good standing, or has been submitted by the President and CEO. The resolutions for policy or program change must be certified by the President and Secretary of the Unit, and received by the President and CEO in the National Office by May 1st annually. The Convention shall act on all such proposed program or policy changes during its Legislative Sessions.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.naacp.org/pages/convention
ACT-SO 2013 AWARD WINNERS
The Washington DC ACT-SO Committee hosted the 2013 Annual ACT-SO Awards Program, at the First Baptist Church, 3440 Minnesota Ave, Washington DC 20019, Saturday, May 4, 2013, 4:00 p.m. All students and judges were recognized for their participation in the local competition. Additionally, the students who competed on Saturday, April 27th learned who earned the right to represent the DC Branch at the Annual Competition in Orlando FL.
MATH
Cesa Salaam
MEDICINE AND HEALTH
John Clark
BIOLOGY
Austin Clark
ENGINEERING
Jackson Douglass
ORIGINAL ESSAY
Joy Barnes
Hannah Clark
Ngozi Burrell
POETRY
Morgan Brown
Courtney Lovett
Attiyah Jenkins
Joy Barnes
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Attiyah Jenkins
ORATORY
Alexis Franklin
Austin Clark
Joy Barnes
DRAMATICS
Paulette Lewis
Princess Brown
INSTRUMENTAL CLASSICAL
Quentin Harrell
DRAWING
Courtney Lovett
Olivia Bruce
PAINTING
Olivia Bruce
Ngozi Burrell
DANCE
Chy'neka Prince
Savannah Cranford
NAACP DC Branch
 NAACP Economic Empowerment Meeting Monday, May 20, 2013
NAACP Financial Freedom Center
1816 12th Street, NW
Washington, DC
7:00pm
NAACP DC Branch
Centennial Planning Committee Meeting
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
NAACP Financial Freedom Center
1816 12th Street, NW
Washington, DC
7:00pm Contact naacp@naacpdc.org
NAACP Political Action Meeting
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
NAACP Financial Freedom Center
1816 12th Street, NW
Washington, DC
6:00pm
SPONSOR-A-YOUTH NAACP MEMBERSHIP
"4 Youth for $60"
The NAACP DC Branch has launched "Sponsor-A-Youth NAACP Membership" drive encouraging NAACP members to sponsor 4 youth or college students to join the NAACP. There are 6 college chapters and one youth council in Washington, DC. The NAACP supports the development of future leaders through actively involving youth between ages 10 and 25 in the fight for civil rights. The NAACP DC Branch works closely with the 7 NAACP Youth & College units in Washington, DC to foster and develop future leadership in the NAACP. NAACP Youth Memberships are $15, for youth between the ages 10 and 20. We are requesting you make a $60 donation to sponsor 4 NAACP youth memberships.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SPONSORING A YOUTH MEMBERSHIP, CONTACT THE NAACP OFFICE AT (202) 667-1700 OR YOUTH WORKS CHAIR, ASHLEY JACKSON AT YOUTHWORKS.NAACPDC@GMAIL.COM AND WE WILL SEND YOU A SPONSORSHIP PACKET.
There are 7 youth chapters in Washington, DC, including:
- Washington, DC Youth Council
- American University NAACP College Chapter
- Georgetown University NAACP College Chapter
- George Washington University (GWU) NAACP College Chapter
- Howard University NAACP College Chapter
- Trinity NAACP College Chapter
- University of the District of Columbia (UDC) NAACP Chapter
The Civil Rights Opera Hosts...
THE MARCH: A Civil Rights Opera
"Prelude to a Dream: The Volatile Eve of the March on Washington"
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
THE MARCH is an opera about the 1963 March on Washington, which gives a voice on the operatic stage to the heroes of the civil rights movement. The opera portrays Roy Wilkins, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, John Lewis, Bayard Rustin, A. Philip Randolph, Whitney Young, Diane Nash, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Strom Thurmond. A mass meeting will be hosted to focus on the various local and national leaders of the March on Washington. The conclusion of the mass meeting will feature a preview of THE MARCH: A Civil Rights Opera.
About THE MARCH Opera Project
THE MARCH is an opera that uses The March on Washington as a backdrop to enlighten audiences about the depth and complexity of the African American experience. THE MARCH is the creative idea of Alan Marshall, capturing the personal stories of individuals, known and previously obscure, who came together on a hot, sunny day in August of 1963 and made history. In the Fall of 2010, Alan's appreciation of African American history and his passion for opera inspired him to create an artistic vehicle for African American opera singers. Alan also had a strong desire to create an opera that would enlighten audiences about the depth and complexity of the African American experience.
Alan Marshall's growing relationships with African American opera singers exposed him to their frustration about the lack of roles that could make full use of their talent. He heard stories about singers avoiding operatic roles because they considered them demeaning to them as African Americans. Alan soon began pondering what would be a powerful story to tell. It was not long before he settled on an episode in the Civil Rights Movement. He chose the March on Washington as his subject because all of the major civil rights leaders were involved in its planning. He also felt like it would be exciting to examine the perspective of the Kennedy Administration. Finally, the March on Washington is considered by many historians as the emotional and spiritual pinnacle of the civil rights movement prior to the rise of the Black Power and anti-war movements. Alan has researched extensively for this opera. He uses as many as twelve books per scene to give him every possible perspective of the setting, circumstances and characters. Some of his most rewarding research and writing involved the Oval Office scene where he spent months exploring the hearts and minds of Southern politicians who opposed the March on Washington and the civil rights bill.
Despite this exhaustive research, THE MARCH is not a documentary. It is an opera that uses the actual march and the surrounding historical period as a backdrop. THE MARCH is an opera about the personal stories of individuals, known and previously obscure, who came together on a hot, sunny day in August of 1963 and made history. THE MARCH is an opera that is long overdue. Its creators are working tirelessly to bring to the operatic stage a creation that will serve art, history and humanity.
What's in THE MARCH?
- A behind the scenes perspective of the personalities and rivalries of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement as they planned The March on Washington.
- Stories of individuals who made personal sacrifices to support and attend The March on Washington.
- The political repercussions of The March on Washington and the Civil Rights Movement that were felt from the halls of Congress to the Oval Office.
- A staging of the greatest civil rights demonstration in American history.
History of The March on Washington, August 28, 1963
The March on Washington for Jobs was a large political rally in support of civil and economic rights for African Americans that took place in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech advocating racial harmony at the Lincoln Memorial during the march. The march was organized by a group of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations, under the theme "jobs, and freedom." Estimates of the number of participants varied from 200,000 (police) to over 300,000 (leaders of the march). Observers estimated that 75–80% of the marchers were black and the rest were white and other minorities. The march is widely credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965).
The march was initiated by A. Philip Randolph, the president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, president of the Negro American Labor Council, and vice president of the AFL-CIO. Randolph had planned a similar march in 1941. The threat of the earlier march had convinced President Roosevelt to establish the Committee on Fair Employment Practice and ban discriminatory hiring in the defense industry. The 1963 march was an important part of the rapidly expanding Civil Rights Movement. It also marked the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln.
In the political sense, the march was organized by a coalition of organizations and their leaders including: Randolph who was chosen as the titular head of the march, James Farmer (president of the Congress of Racial Equality), John Lewis (president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), Martin Luther King, Jr. (president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Roy Wilkins (President of the NAACP), Whitney Young (president of the National Urban League).
The mobilization and logistics of the actual march itself was administered by deputy director Bayard Rustin, a civil rights veteran and organizer of the 1947Journey of Reconciliation, the first of the Freedom Rides to test the Supreme Court ruling that banned racial discrimination in interstate travel. Rustin was a long-time associate of both Randolph and Dr. King. With Randolph concentrating on building the march's political coalition, Rustin built and led the team of activists and organizers who publicized the march and recruited the marchers, coordinated the buses and trains, provided the marshals, and set up and administered all of the logistic details of a mass march in the nation's capital. The march was not universally supported among African Americans. Some civil rights activists were concerned that it might turn violent, which could undermine pending legislation and damage the international image of the movement. The march was condemned by Malcolm X, spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, who termed it the "farce on Washington".
March organizers themselves disagreed over the purpose of the march. The NAACP and Urban League saw it as a gesture of support for a civil rights bill that had been introduced by the Kennedy Administration. Randolph, King, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) saw it as a way of raising both civil rights and economic issues to national attention beyond the Kennedy bill. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) saw it as a way of challenging and condemning the Kennedy administration's inaction and lack of support for civil rights for African Americans.
On August 28, more than 2,000 buses, 21 special trains, 10 chartered airliners, and uncounted cars converged on Washington. All regularly scheduled planes, trains, and buses were also filled to capacity. The march began at the Washington Monument and ended at the Lincoln Memorial with a program of music and speakers. The march failed to start on time because its leaders were meeting with members of Congress. To the leaders' surprise, the assembled group began to march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial without them. The 1963 March also spurred anniversary marches that occur every five years, with the 20th and 25th being some of the most well-known. The 25th Anniversary theme was "We Still have a Dream… Jobs, Peace, Freedom."
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.civilrightsopera.com
facebook.com/TheMarchCivilRightsOpera
twitter.com/TheMarchOpera
The Equal Justice Society Hosts...
Marking Civil Rights 50th Year Milestone
The March on Washington 50th Anniversary Art Exhibit
ARTWORK SUBMISSIONS REQUESTED
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
The Equal Justice Society will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington on Wednesday, August 28, 2013. This event will feature collaboration with Marcus Shelby Jazz Organization, Zaccho Dance Theatre, and the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. In addition to having a presentation by musicians, actors, and dancers, the event will include an exhibition, "The Art of Civil Rights." EJS has issued a call for artists to submit Artwork for the Art Exhibit by August 1, 2013. To receive details on the Aug. 28 event and the art exhibit, please register here, http://civilrights50.net.
In each of the next three years, we will have the opportunity to observe the 50th anniversaries of four of our nation's seminal civil rights tipping points. The effort will focus on educating our communities about how far civil rights have advanced – and how much more work needs to be to foster equal opportunity. During the three years, 2013-2015, we will develop a commemoration website and social media vehicles; ask participating organizations to weave the observances into their existing activities, work together on select joint events; and together develop new ways (such as music and performances) to increase awareness of this critical time in our history.
Aug. 28, 2013 – 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. About 200,000 people join the march and congregate at the Lincoln Memorial to hear Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. Medgar Evers is assassinated and four young Black girls are killed in a bomb attack in Birmingham the same year. President Kennedy is assassinated in November 1963.
July 2, 2014 – 50th anniversary of President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin. The law also provides the federal government with the powers to enforce desegregation. Earlier in 1964, the 24th Amendment abolishes the poll tax, originally instituted in 11 southern states to make it difficult for blacks to vote.
Aug. 10, 2015 – 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, making it easier for Southern blacks to register to vote. Literacy tests, poll taxes, and other such requirements that were used to restrict black voting are made illegal. This same year, Malcolm X is assassinated, the Selma to Montgomery marches take place, the Watts riots erupt in Los Angeles, and President Johnson issues Executive Order 11246, which enforces affirmative action for the first time.
Oct. 3, 2015 – 50th anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. The act marked a radical break from the immigration policies of the past. The law as it stood then excluded Asians and Africans and preferred northern and western Europeans over southern and eastern ones. At the height of the civil rights movement of the 1960s the law was seen as an embarrassment by, among others, President John F. Kennedy, who called the then-quota-system "nearly intolerable". After Kennedy's assassination, President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill at the foot of the Statue of Liberty as a symbolic gesture.
REENTRY AND EXPUNGEMENT SUMMIT
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Washington, DC 20001
10am - 2pm
Registration is now open for the Ninth Annual Community Reentry and Expungement Summit, which will be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W., Washington, DC 20001 from 10 am to 2 pm. The Summit will assist persons with criminal records by providing reentry support services and helping individuals determine if they are eligible to get their arrest or conviction record sealed or expunged.
In addition, there will be more than 50 community based service providers on-site to give returning residents, as well as their family members, substantive information relating to their employment, housing, education, and health care. Importantly, our goal is to offer D.C. residents the tools on "How to Succeed With a Criminal Record".
All services provided at the Summit will be free of charge!!
REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.PDSDC.ORG or BY PHONE AT 202-824-2835.
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
PLEASE CONTACT:
April Frazier-Camara, Esq.
Community Reentry Coordinator
Public Defender Service
680 Rhode Island Ave NE, Suite H-5
Washington, DC 20002
202-824-2815 (phone)
202-824-2915 (fax)
Shawn Carter (JAY-Z) Scholarship
Application Deadline: May 31, 2013
The Shawn Carter (Jay-Z) Scholarship Fund offers scholarship opportunities to any under-served student across the United States.
Eligibility Requirements:
Qualified applicants must be a high school senior, college student, and/or between the ages of 18-25, pursuing studies at a vocational or trade school. All applicants must be a US Citizen and complete the on-line application no later than the published deadline date, which is May 31, 2013. The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation is unique in that it offers scholarships to single mothers, children who attend alternative schools, students who have earned a GED, students with grade point averages of 2.0 and students who have previously been incarcerated, etc. but desire a higher educational opportunity. This group is generally not the recipients of college scholarships and is typically ignored by the Board of Education.
The Shawn Carter Foundation offers scholarship opportunities to any under-served student across the United States who desires a higher education. One of the key questions asked by the Foundation when students apply for a scholarship is: What are your plans to give back to the community?
This scholarship is open to the public.
CLICK LINK TO APPLY TODAY! http://www.shawncartersf.com/apply/
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