NAACP speaker: Step up efforts for youths

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Organization and
mobilization are the keys to the NAACP's success, the speaker said.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

GIRARD — Members of the Youngstown branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People celebrated its 98th Freedom Fund Banquet with a dedication of reorganization and renewal of the local branch and words of encouragement from an Ohio senator.

Sen. Ray Miller of Columbus, D-15th, was keynote speaker for the banquet Friday at the Mahoning Country Club.

President Willie Williams said the NAACP continues to be an important fixture in the lives of those living in the black community here and abroad. To that end, he said the organization is still fighting social issues such as crime in the black community, housing concerns and health care.

One of the most important issues facing the community and organizations such as the NAACP is proper preparation of blacks for gainful employment, Williams said.

"The NAACP has been working, and we have to continue to work, to make sure our young people are learning," Williams said. "In the job market, without college or some additional training it is very difficult to get the jobs."

Miller, in an interview before the banquet, said all the obstacles mentioned by Williams can be overcome with grass-roots efforts used in the past by the NAACP and similar organizations.

He said he would discuss the "power we have that is not being organized or utilized," and the reasons for the lack of organization and use of power — fear.

Miller said the NAACP still faces issues of inequalities in education, blacks disenfranchised in the political process and housing issues. The difference, he said, is that many allow fear to stop them from taking the action to address the problems.

"The NAACP today needs to reflect on its rich history and build on that. The same issues still exist today but on a different level," he said. "People now are so cautious and calculating, afraid to lose something when there isn't much to lose."

According to Miller, overcoming that fear can be accomplished with the same steps toward mobilization and use of power needed to address societal issues. The same methods of mobilization have worked for women's groups and advocates for the gay community, he said.

"We wrote the book on organization and mobilization then threw it away, and everyone who has picked it up has used it and succeeded," he said.

Steven Mickel, first vice president of the local NAACP chapter, said, "We are reorganizing, but also looking at mobilizing the community. The only way we can be effective is with the support of the community."

jgoodwin@vindy.com

Saturday, October 13, 2007