NAACP Reviews a Successful 2012

Posted by St. Mary’s County NAACP

Community Builder

It was a busy year at the local NAACP. Listed below are many of the events and initiatives put forth this year. Please join us in the upcoming year to help advance our goal of a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination.

Education

• We continued our work with the St. Mary’s County Public School System (SMCPS) to address concerns that impact African-American and minority students.  SOSS, Speaking Out for Student’s Success, is our smoke signal to alert parents, students, community, and all other interested parties and stakeholders that this is the action that we all must take to ensure our students’ success.

• We met regularly with our SMCPS Superintendent, Dr. Martirano, to discuss concerns regarding diversity of classified and non-classified positions, disparity in disciplinary actions, drop-out rate,  and a host of other issues that impact the learning environment of students.

• Members of our organization participated in the SMCPS Diversity Advisory Council, chaired by Dr. Charna Lacey.

Community Outreach

• After the annual, local Dr. Martin Luther King’s breakfast, we hosted a community conversation on the elimination of the achievement gap in an effort to engage the community in our efforts in working with the SMCPS Superintendent, and to gain feedback from the community as it relates to education. 
  

• In promoting student achievement, the Unified Committee for African-American Contributions (UCAC),  the Minority Outreach Coalition, the Lexington Park Library, and your local NAACP co-sponsored a community outreach program exposing the community to two excellent resources available to teach our children about African American History in the St. Mary’s County Public Schools and at home.  Ms. Deanna Mingo of our school system exposed us to the state curriculum, Education is Multicultural; and Ms. Lisa Crawley took us on a journey with the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, which delved into the exhibits, collections and programs of this museum.

• Gearing up for Graduation:  Increasing the graduation rate.  This event was held in partnerships with GMHS to inform students and parents of the various programs and resources available to students to assist them in achieving the goal of graduation. We look forward to continuing these efforts.

• In partnership with our county libraries and the Unified Committee on African American Contributions (UCAC), we celebrated Black History Month by meeting Frederick Douglas.  His life was presented to us in animation and song, and those in attendance were asked to join in.  This event drew a standing room only crowd and was enjoyed by all.

• Our Minority Teachers and Staff Meet and Greet, hosted annually, commenced at Lexington Park Library on the first Saturday in November.  This event acclimates the new school staff to St. Mary’s county and provides them with useful community information.

Youth Works

• Our first Back to School Event was held in August.  Through the generosity of our members and community, we were able to equip over 100 children ranging from Kindergarten to High school with supplies to begin their school year.  Organizations and individuals that assisted in making this event a huge success were:  St. Joseph’s Community Center and its Ladies Auxiliary, Knights of St. Jerome’s, UCAC, DJ Widebody, Lady Divas, members, family, friends, and local beauty and barber shops.   We look forward to doing this again next year.

• We are honored to have had a couple new members join our organization who will lead the effort of establishing some youth activities/events in the coming months.

Political Action

On the political front,

• We registered well over 200 students through voter registration drives, and have supported voter registration drives hosted by the libraries and the League of Women Voters.

• In partnership with St. Mary’s College, a forum was hosted for the Board of Education candidates prior to the Primary Election.  It’s in these forums that members of the community may have their areas of concerns addressed in order to become more informed voters. 
  

Financial Literacy

We received a very small grant to conduct financial literacy seminars over the course of the next six months.  These events are to engage the entire community.  Stay tuned.  We will be calling on our members and you as the community to assist with educating our citizens on attaining financial freedom.

Freedom Fund Banquet

Our annual banquet in October continues to grow and this year drew more than 200 attendees helping to fill the River’s Edge Conference Center at NAS: Patuxent River.

Join us in 2013. Our general meetings are held the last Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the SMECO Building on Hollywood Road just north of downtown Leonardtown, Maryland. For additional information contact the St. Mary’s County Branch NAACP at P.O. Box 189, Lexington Park, Maryland 20653 or call 301-863-3011.