Virginia NAACP holds 76th State Convention, elects officers
Despite a last minute scramble to find a new venue for its annual state conference, the 2011 NAACP Virginia State Convention was a stellar affair. The day and a half conference was packed with meetings, elections, plenary sessions, keynote presentations and celebrations at Henrico's Hilton Hotel and Spa.
The conference, originally scheduled to take place at The Ramada Plaza Hotel West, had to be rescheduled when the hotel was taken into receivership just days before it was to commence. Despite this hectic start, NAACP loyalists came bright and early on Saturday morning to do the organizations' business, pay homage to the memories of those who had given and sacrificed much to advance freedom and to inject the organization with fresh blood by electing new officers.
As the 1 1/2-day of events unfolded, one could not overlook the prominent role this organization has played in the American civil rights movement. Those in attendance were civil rights pioneers who have been instrumental in securing such rights as equal employment and educational opportunity, fair housing, the right to vote, etc.
This year's theme was Fired Up and Ready to Work. One can surmise the theme was intended to inspire and generate enthusiasm in what can only be described as a pivotal year of state and national elections. To ensure that those on the ground made no mistake regarding the importance of these elections, State NAACP Executive Director King Salim Khalfani and other members of the organization's strategy team selected a dynamic and seasoned slate of speaker's to recount the history of the freedom struggle past and present and to unveil the strategic direction going forward. They included activist and former Richmond City Council member, Sa'ad El Amin who revisited the divide and conquer strategy a la Willie Lynch, Ohio State University Associate Professor, Dr. Hasan Kwame Jefferies, who delivered a fiery speech on the performance or lack thereof of black elected officials, and Brother Iman Shabazz, spoken word artist extraordinaire, whose engaging yet thoughtful speech gave attendees young and seasoned much to think about.
The organization's new leadership team includes Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Young, President; Carmen Taylor, Vice-President; Elizabeth Waddy, Secretary and Rovenia Vaughan, Treasurer.
True to its theme, the convention set the stage for the work that lay ahead. Refreshed and with renewed spirit, these civil rights foot soldiers returned home at day's end full of fire and indeed ready to work.
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