Upcoming Meetings and Events
|
|
- General Membership Meeting/Teacher Hiring in FCPS - May 12 (location change)
- Trunk Scholarships for NAACP Youth Branch
- Fairfax County 2019 Budget
- School Resource Officer (SRO) Update
- National NAACP News
- Fairfax County Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority 25th Anniversary Luncheon - May 20
- Candidate Forum - May 26
- Loudoun County NAACP Golf Fundraiser - June 1
- Omega Psi Phi Parisian Nights Event - June 9
- Health Fair - June 23
- Cops vs Kids Basketball Game - July 14
- Join our Communications Committee
- Branch Elections
- Committee Meetings
|
|
General Membership Meeting*
*Please note location change
|
|
Join us for our monthly meeting on Saturday, May 12, from 10 AM-noon,
at the Sherwood Regional Library located at 2501 Sherwood Hall Ln, Alexandria, VA 22306.
|
|
Trunk Scholarships for
NAACP Youth Branch
|
|
Members, Supporters and Friends
We have three seniors from our Youth Council that will be graduating from High School this year. They have been truly dedicated, and we would like to recognize them at our June meeting. Please sign up to contribute an item for our trunk scholarship via the below link.
Please bring items to the May membership meeting on Saturday, May 12, 2018 or contact Shareem Annan to drop off your donation
youthcouncil@fairfaxnaacp.org
We appreciate your support!
Fairfax County NAACP Youth Council
|
|
Fairfax County 2019 Budget
|
|
We support the Fairfax County 2019 Budget as it certainly speaks to some of the priorities we outlined in our 2018 Advocacy Agenda. Thanks in large part to our advocacy efforts, including President Annan’s
testimony
, the county for the first time ever, committed to generating a five-year plan to provide early childhood education for the estimated 14,000 low-income children going without this care in the county. The children that do not get the opportunity to receive pre-K education enter the school system a step behind their peers; and this opportunity gap turns into an achievement gap that widens with time. We applaud the Board of Supervisors for taking this momentous first step to addressing the systemic issue.
In a related matter, in April, Fairfax County NAACP Executive Committee voted unanimously to create an ad-hoc Budget committee. The committee’s mission will be to analyse the Fairfax County and Fairfax County School Board Budget in order to identify strategies and opportunities to advance the Fairfax County NAACP’s agenda. If you have budgeting experience or interest in serving on this committee, contact Committee Chair, David Broder at
BudgetCommittee@fairfaxnaacp.org
.
|
|
Throughout the month of April, we continued our efforts to petition Fairfax County to increase transparency and accountability with regard to how the School Resource Officer (SRO) program is administered. This is part of an ongoing effort that began late last year when we discovered the racial disparities in student arrests, in addition to the fact that the SRO’s were needlessly funneling minority students into the criminal justice system for trivial matters that should be handled within the school system. Thirty percent are the referrals are African American, even though only 10 percent of Fairfax County Public School population is black. Most of the arrests are not safety-related. In 2016 there were 75 arrests for disorderly conduct; 29 for trespassing; 23 for grand larceny
In addition to holding multiple meetings and phone calls with Chairman Bulova, Chief Roessler, Dr. Brabrand, Jane Strauss and other members of the Fairfax County School Board, and Board of Supervisors, President Annan, and Youth Council President, Nathnael Alazar, and members of the Education Committee spoke at the 22 March School Board meeting. The Fairfax NAACP branch later held a town hall on April 9th at Bethlehem Baptist Church in the Mt. Vernon District. The town hall was attended by over 100 parents and concerned citizens, many of whom testified to the own experiences. Later in the month we were informed that the county was reviewing the SRO memorandum of understanding, and were taking our suggestions into consideration.
However, this effort is not over. The county’s reluctance to make the changes to date leave us skeptical that the final proposed changes will reflect our recommendations. Therefore, we ask that you lend your voice to the effort by contacting your School Board and Board of Supervisor member, Dr. Brabrand and Chief Roessler, and tell them you demand the following changes to the School Resource Officer Memorandum of Understanding between Fairfax County Public Schools and the Fairfax County Police Department.
1.
Narrow School Resource Officer (SRO) scope of responsibility to only intervene in potentially life-threatening situations.
General misconduct – including fist fights – by adolescents should be expected, therefore our schools should be equipped with the tools necessary to handle these instances without involving SROs. While schools’ primary role is to serve as an institution for learning, it must also remain a suitable place for young people to mature and sometimes err, without being subjected to the unquestionably perilous path of the criminal justice system. A review of FCPD general orders - Service, Investigations, and Arrests (601.5), dated 1/1/13, and procedural guidelines describing the duties and responsibilities of SRO’s, permit SRO responses “preventing and addressing school disruptions… as a priority in all police responses”. The SRO policies provide further responses to “any event which by its nature (undefined), can have a significant psychological or emotional impact on the students, faculty, or community”. This is far too broad and leads to the criminalization of students based on behavioral issues.
2.
Prohibit SROs from flip-flopping between administrators and law enforcement officers.
This intentionally ambiguous policy allows officers to conduct activities such as searches and seizures, stop and frisk, or interrogations as administrators that would otherwise be prohibited as officers, and then use evidence collected in criminal proceedings. Depending on the circumstances, this potentially creates constitutional violations that the average child would not aware of or have the wherewithal to defend against.
3.
End racial profiling and ‘stop and frisk’ policies.
The evidence suggests that SROs are engaging in racial profiling, and we believe the policy as written which allows them to “monitor cultural and social influences” opens the door to such behavior. This is even more problematic given FCPD’s inability to diversify its force, leaving open for the possibility of cultural stereotypes playing a role in SRO actions. Our kids must be able to associate with whomever they want, and wear whatever they want without being subjected to unnecessary police scrutiny. In 2013 a New York judge ruled that the NYPD was implementing ‘stop and frisk’ policies in a manner that was unconstitutional because the officers were disproportionately targeting minorities. The 2015-16 SRO arrest data suggests that FCPD may also be engaging in similar patterns of behavior. Therefore, we urge an end to the SRO ‘stop and frisk’ policy.
4.
Empower parents to intervene on their children’s behalf.
The absence of deliberate parent and community involvement is a glaring gap in MOU. Much more needs to be done to ensure parents know what SROs are doing on a regular basis; and parents certainly deserve the right to intervene prior to their children being questioned in relation to an alleged crime. Parents have very little input regarding police decisions and actions affecting their child in school. We believe such authority and privilege to be beyond the ordinary sphere of acceptable police practices and they should be reviewed and examined for appropriateness and possibly legality.
How you can help
Contact Scott Brabrand, FCPS Superintendent
Contact Ed Roessler, FCPD Chief
Contact your Board of Supervisor representative
|
|
LEGAL UPDATES
On April 24,
a federal court in Washington D.C. ruled in favor of the NAACP's DACA lawsuit
. Federal Judge John Bates said the decision by the Trump administration to rescind DACA was “virtually unexplained” and as such “unlawful.” He granted DHS 90 days to provide a legally sufficient explanation, and, if they fail to do so, DHS will be required to maintain the program. This ruling means not only that
current
enrollees in the DACA program can remain in the United States for the time being (relief that other courts have granted), but also that eligible persons who are not currently in the DACA program may be able to
newly enroll
in the program.
On March 28, the National Office, along with the NAACP Prince George’s County (Maryland) Branch, the County of Prince George’s itself, and two County residents
sued the federal government
to combat the imminent threat that the 2020 Census will substantially undercount African Americans and other communities of color throughout the United States, causing inequities in political representation and deficiencies in federal programs payments to those communities. This lawsuit follows
our
October 2017 suit
against the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding preparations for the 2020 Census.
Meanwhile, our lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s refusal to extend Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) for undocumented Haitian nationals residing in the United States, continues apace.
ADVOCACY: JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS
We have been persistently vocal on the Trump Administration's judicial appointments. Recently, we spoke out most vehemently against Thomas Farr, Wendy Vitter, and Stuart Kyle Duncan -- three choices with terrible track records when it comes to civil rights. NAACP State Conferences have recently held two press conferences in opposition Farr's nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Throughout his career, Farr has consistently stood on the wrong side of civil rights issues and worked to intimidate, misinform, or otherwise disenfranchise African-American voters. On April 4th, the NAACP Ohio State Conference, NAACP Cleveland Branch, and National Council of Jewish Women Cleveland Chapter hosted a press conference voicing their opposition. Watch the video
here
.
On
February 28, I joined NAACP North Carolina State Conference President Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman; President of the Wendell Wake NAACP Charles Upchurch; President of the New Hanover County NAACP Deborah Maxwell; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Policy Director Todd Cox; Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and other members of Congress; and about 50 members from the NAACP North Carolina State Conference to speak out against the egregious nomination. Watch a video of the press conference
here
.
CONVENTION
Make plans to attend the 109th National Convention, taking place July 14-18 in San Antonio, Texas. For more information visit the convention website
–
naacpconvention.org
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
|
Fairfax County Alumnae Chapter
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
25th Anniversary Luncheon
|
|
Congressional District 10
Candidate Forum
|
|
Cops v Kids Basketball Game
|
|
Mary Supley Foxworth is Chair of Communications, Press and Publicity. The 'Comms' team coordinates the branch's advocacy through social media, outreach, and external communication and is responsible for the branch newsletters and email communication, press releases, website, event registration and social media campaigns.
Mary has been a valued member of our team bringing structure and process to the branch's many forms of communication and ensuring that the branch responds to advocacy issues in a timely and effective manner. She is moving on from this role. We wish her all the best!
|
|
The branch election of officers and at-large members will take place at our November general membership meeting. Therefore, we wanted to remind members of the timeline of associated events and activities that will occur prior to the elections.
- August - November - Reminders and notices will be forwarded to members informing them of the September and October meetings and the November elections, location and time.
- September - The Nomination Committee is selected at the September general membership meeting. The Nomination Committee is responsible for establishing the “slate” for officers and at-large members for the 2019 – 2020 term. The Nomination Committee consists of no less than 5 and not more than 15 members. There can be no more than two (2) current Executive Committee members on this committee. Any current branch member can volunteer to participate on this committee.
- The Nomination Committee Chair will determine future meetings of the Committee to determine the Slate which consists of: President, VP (1,2,3), Secretary, Asst Secretary, Treasurer, Asst Treasurer, and At-Large Members. 2016 elections. There can be only one nominee for each position, decided by the Nomination Committee. All nominees must be a member of the Fairfax County NAACP branch prior to April 1, 2018, have agreed to run for the position being nominated for, and have signed a nomination form.
- October – The slate of officers and at-large members will be presented to the membership during the October general membership meeting. Also, nomination petitions will be accepted from the floor for any position. Each nomination petition from the floor must be signed by 3 current members. The Secretary will verify the membership of those signing the petition and verify that any nominee from the floor has been a member of the Fairfax County NAACP branch prior to April 1, 2018.
- November – Election of officers and at-Large members conducted. In order to vote in the election, you must be a Fairfax County NAACP branch member 30 days prior to the election. There will be no Absentee Ballots.
For questions, about the timeline and/or procedures or if interested in participating on the Nomination or Election Supervisory Committees,
please contact
Fairfax County Branch Secretary, Michael O'Brien, at
secretary@fairfaxnaacp.org
|
|
Fairfax NAACP Committee Meetings
|
|
Have you joined the movement?
Supporting Fairfax County NAACP makes a direct and positive impact in our community.
|
|
Membership in the NAACP is just $30 a year
.
With so many issues facing our children and our community, we need your support. Your donations support our branch's advocacy, community programs, and operations. Our members spend countless hours fighting injustices. We could do so much more with your assistance. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to join along with donating to our branch.
|
|
Fairfax NAACP Officers and Committee Chairs
|
|
Officers:
President
Kofi Annan
First Vice President
Karen Campblin
Second Vice President
Evelyn Spain
Third Vice President
Dr. Iris Hunter
Treasurer
Michelle Leete
Secretary
Michael O’Brien
|
|
Committee Chairs:
Armed Services and Veterans Affairs
Niki Zimmerman
Communications, Press, and Publicity
Mary Supley Foxworth
Community Involvement
Evelyn Spain
Criminal Justice
Kofi Annan
Economic Development
Niki Zimmerman
Education
Sean Perryman
Freedom Fund (Fundraising)
Michelle Leete and Evelyn Spain
Health
Linda Shealey Cook
Legal Redress
Veronica Harsley-Dean, Esq.
Membership
Dr. Iris Hunter
Political Action
Religious Affairs
Rev. Carolyn Boyd
Young Adult
Christina Cherry
Youth Council
Shareem Annan and Flossie Lomax
|
|
Because Freedom isn't Free
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
