JOURNAL TRANSCRIPT
October 2017 MEETINGS General Membership DATE: Monday, October 23th, 2017 TIME: 6 p.m. PLACE: LCCC Corporate Learning Center; 2 Public Square
“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” --Carol Burnett
Executive Committee DATE: Tuesday, November 21st, 2017 TIME: 6 p.m. PLACE: Law Offices of Guerline L. Laurore, P.C. 15 Public Square, Suite 401 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
SAVE THE DATE Freedom Fund Banquet Friday, Nov. 3rd
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” --Franklin D. Roosevelt
Upcoming Wilkes-Barre City Council Meetings at 6 p.m. Thursday, November 9, 2017 IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, FOURTH FLOOR, CITY HALL.
Newsletter submissions DUE by the 15th of the month at 5 pm for the current month’s newsletter. Use the link below https://goo.gl/forms/HR3NehbCcnf7j0nn2
Contact Information: Wilkes-Barre NAACP Branch 2306 P O Box 2460 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703
[email protected] 570-262-1360
President’s Corner….…… September/October 2017 Presidential Report Participated in October 2017 Regional NAACP phone conference: Discussed the discussed the upcoming state conference elections. Attended Exeter Borough Council meeting where I spoke regarding the issue of racial profiling by Mayor Castellani. Peggy Felton and I sat at WB NAACP table Veterans Labor-day Festival and provided membership information and invited people to attend picnic. Attended South Wilkes-Barre Resident Association meeting where Representative Yudichack was the keynote speaker. Participated in September 2017 Regional NAACP phone conference: Main discussion was about upcoming state conference elections. Invited all presidents on the call to Wilkes Barre NAACP People’s Diversity picnic. The 19th People’s Diversity Picnic was a huge success. We were pleased to receive a Proclammation from the city of Wilkes Barre, presented by Mayor Tony George, honoring the WB NAACP for its 19th People Diversity Picnic. Thank you to all our sponsors and volunteers for their participation and continued support. We could not have done it without you. Everyone had a fantastic time. Shout out to Erika Petrole, 2017 People’s Diversity Picnic Chairperson for her hard work. Looking forward to the 20th People’s Diversity Picnic! Contacted Officer Galli regarding situation in Exeter requesting name and address of the people involved. Drove to address to no avail. Will follow Officer Galli to home. Left message for Attorney Hassey. Received complaint from Galli and will draft a press conference. Attended seminar on Immigration sponsored by Northeastern PA Diversity Educational Consortium (NEPDEC). Spoke to Ms. Ameerah Woods, a parent aggrieved during a game involving the Mini Mohawks and Pittston. She has emailed me a complaint that was not notarized. She promised to email me the notarized complaint as soon as she is able. A tentative meeting is scheduled on Wednesday October 18, 2017 at 1:00 pm.
Respectfully Submitted by President Guerline L. Laurore, Esq.
Tickets Still available.
Upcoming Community Events
Upcoming NAACP Wilkes-Barre Meetings General Membership Executive Meeting Dates Meetings rd 3 Tuesday of every month th 4 Monday of every month at 6 pm at 6 pm November 21, 2017 December 19, 2017 January 16, 2018 February 20, 2018 March 20, 2018 April 17, 2018 May 15, 2018 June 19, 2018 July 17, 2018 August 21, 2018 September 18, 2018 October 16, 2018 November 20, 2018 December 18, 2018
November 27, 2017 ****December 25, 2017 January 22, 2018 February 26, 2018 March 26, 2018 April 23, 2018 May 21, 2018 June 25, 2018 July 23, 2018 August 27, 2018 September 24, 2018 October 22, 2018 November 26, 2018 ****December 24, 2018
****=WE WILL NEED TO MOVE THIS MEETING
Job Openings View the comprehensive listing of local and national jobs on our website. PRESS RELEASE from naacp.org
NAACP LISTENING TOUR TO CONVENE IN LOS ANGELES OCTOBER 12, 2017 NAACP Forward Allows Nation’s Premier Civil Rights Organization to Hear Feedback from Members and Supporters on Key Issues and Strategies for Fighting Back in the Trump Era
LOS ANGELES (October 12, 2017) – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will visit Los Angeles as part of its multi-city listening tour, NAACP Forward: Today, Tomorrow & Always, on October 26, 2017. NAACP Forward is part of the organization’s strategic plan to enhance its vision and mission, and to renew its commitment to the fight for civil rights amid a swirling climate of political hostility, voter suppression, income inequality, mass incarceration, police brutality and anti-immigrant sentiment. NAACP Forward will convene local membership, supporters and partners to offer their guidance on how the NAACP can retool itself to combat 21 st century threats. Along with these public meetings, NAACP Forward in Los Angeles will also include smaller discussions in the city to better understand the perspective of its membership, local community leaders, activists and others, continuing the series of critical discussions and action plans initiated at the NAACP’s 108th annual convention in Baltimore, Maryland, this past July and over the past several months. The next stop in NAACP Forward is Nashville, Tennessee which will be in November 2017. NAACP leadership will visit several other cities across the country over the next few months including Des Moines; San Antonio, and Washington, DC. Logistical details for each tour stop will be released accordingly.
PRESS RELEASE
NAACP RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS TO DISMANTLE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT OCTOBER 14, 2017
BALTIMORE (October 14, 2017) – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), America’s original civil rights organization, released the following statement in response to the two executive orders signed by President Trump yesterday to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, by promoting “junk” insurance plans and ending cost-sharing subsidies:
“President Trump’s executive orders to kill the Affordable Care Act – and make no mistake, this action is intended to do exactly that – are a new low, even for a White House that has defended white supremacists, condoned sexual harassment, and lied to the public. As President of the United States, Donald Trump has a duty to uphold the rule of law – but in this case, it is disturbingly apparent that he is actually determined to sabotage it,” said Derrick Johnson, interim President and CEO, NAACP.
“Let’s be clear: the Affordable Care Act was not only passed by Congress, but also upheld by the Supreme Court. It has the approval of more than half of Americans – more than the President himself can boast. It has provided 20 million people – and counting – with access to more affordable, more comprehensive, quality health care services, including women and children, individuals with preexisting conditions, and communities of color.”
“I have said it before and I will say it again: President Trump does not care about protecting the health of Americans. To end the Affordable Care Act in this way is a desperate maneuver to engineer a political win for his right-wing base, after nearly a year of covert, detrimental action.”
“Over the past 2 days, I have heard many ask, in the face of the President’s willingness to disrupt our health care system without Congressional approval, what can we do now? And the answer is this: We continue to fight for our health care, for what we were promised, for what is our right as Americans.
“I am urging all of our members to call their senators and representatives in Washington and urge them to defend the Affordable Care Act. And most importantly, if they have not enrolled in a health care plan, we ask them to mark their calendars for the next Open Enrollment period, which starts on November 1st. By enrolling for a quality, affordable health care plan, we can not only lift up the Affordable Care Act, but also make our voices heard.
“One thing is certain – the NAACP will fight. For millions of Americans, this is the fight of our lives.
PRESS RELEASE”
NAACP STATEMENT ON FLORIDA STATE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM OCTOBER 17, 2017
Baltimore, MD—The NAACP, the nation’s foremost civil rights organization, is extremely dismayed by the results of a recent investigation into Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice. In response to the Miami Herald series, “Fight Club,” detailing the violence, abuse and misconduct taking place in the country’s largest juvenile justice system, the NAACP released the following statement: “There is simply no overstating how horrific and sickening the conditions are for the youth subjected to the system. It is truly a tragedy that children, who more than anything need a loving and fostering environment to grow and develop, are instead forced to brutally assault each other in exchange for a snack,” said Derrick Johnson, interim President and CEO, NAACP. “The NAACP demands that Florida undertake a complete and full investigation that holds everyone from the top to the bottom accountable for their failure to ensure humane treatment of our children,” added Johnson. The report by the Miami Herald chronicled stories of forced fighting, sexual assault and wrongful deaths. Officers allegedly enforced a culture of denial and suppression. In total, the Herald examined 12 questionable deaths of detained youths since the year 2000. “It’s clear that the juvenile justice system’s continual mismanagement and decades of blame-shifting have created a system where the daily subjugation of young people to an inhumane level of cruelty appears more the norm than the exception,” said Adora Nweze, President of the NAACP Florida State Conference. “Saying that the system is broken is an understatement. We need to recognize that the system is the leading catalyst for the very problem it is trying to solve – juvenile delinquency,” Nweze continued, “What good are we doing our society if we hand over troubled youth to the state and they return them to us traumatized, exploited, and angry? Florida has done its residents and the country at large a huge disservice by allowing such atrocities to go unnoticed for so long.” The NAACP is calling for the State of Florida to accept responsibility for the deplorable state of affairs, taking immediate steps to address the issues raised by the Miami Herald investigation. As always, the Florida State Conference of the NAACP will continue to fight to ensure that the needs of justice-involved children are met, including their basic safety, educational requirements, and emotional wellbeing.