News for You

FAIRFAX COUNTY NAACP

NEWS FOR YOU

September 2016

Monthly General Membership Meeting

Don’t forget we meet every month for a two-hour update on local NAACP initiatives and statewide and national legislative developments. We’d love for you to join our growing ranks. Why not consider coming to our next monthly meeting on Saturday, September 10, from 10 AM – NOON at the Kings Park Library in Burke. Join us in Supervisor Cook’s Meeting Room for a lively discussion of current issues and long-term goals. This month will be of particular interest to members, as we will be selecting a Nominating Committee to choose the slate of officers and members-at-large. Join us!

Change the Name of J.E.B. Stuart High School

As our students return to school in Fairfax County, our advocacy to change the name of Stuart High School is entering a new phase. As we reported here last month, on July 28 the School Board passed a motion to create a working group to "determine if there is a compelling reason and sufficient support for the school name to be changed." Our advocacy will continue to focus on developing support for the name change within the community and with the School Board. In addition we will advocate to influence the design and selection of the working group as it is being formed, and continue to advocate to influence the working group once it is operational.

Although, the School Board and FCPS staff have not yet had any discussions or made any plans concerning the working group, we will shortly be delivering to them a list of principles that we think should guide the selection and operation of the working group. In addition we will make recommendations of people who would be well suited to serve on the working group. We welcome your suggestions for both principles and working group members. Please let us know if you are interested in serving on the working group. In June the five Stuart High School students who started this initiative graduated and are now in the next chapter in their lives as college students.

In anticipation of their graduation, earlier this year we began identifying a new student leadership team. We are happy to report that we have 6 new student leaders to lead our advocacy. We will be introducing this exciting new team to you shortly.

Thank you, again, for your support.

Julia Brown, a new student leader of the %22Change the Name%22 initiative, provides testimony to the Fairfax County School Board at its July 28 meeting.

Julia Brown, a new student leader of the "Change the Name" initiative, provides testimony to the

Fairfax County School Board at its July 28 meeting.

Fairfax County Branch to Hold Elections Soon

The Fairfax County NAACP will hold elections this fall for officers and at-large members of its Executive Committee for the 2017-2018 calendar years. Elections for these positions are held every two years. All members in good standing are eligible to vote in these elections, which will occur at the Fairfax County NAACP’s November membership meeting. Here is the election schedule:

The Nominating Committee will be selected at the September membership meeting (9/10). (Members are eligible to serve on this committee.)
The Nominating Committee will reveal its slate of officer candidates at the October membership meeting (10/8); in addition, nomination petitions will be accepted from the floor at this meeting. Petitions need to be signed by at least 3 active members of the branch.
The election will be held for officers at the November membership meeting (11/12).

For more information about the election process, please contact Florine Murphy, Fairfax County Branch Secretary at [email protected] .

Community Movie Night

Fairfax County NAACP partnered with the SEIU in hosting the Film screening of the 56-minute documentary "At the River I Stand," chronicling the final two months of the life of Dr. King and the Memphis sanitation workers strike.

A panel discussion was held, following the movie, with civil rights and labor leaders. The panel discussion focused on the movie and the themes of the interconnectedness of economic and racial justice. Panalist included Shirley Ginwright, Fairfax County NAACP President, LaDonna Sanders, Alexandria NAACP President, and David Broder, SEIU Virginia 512 President.

Over 50 people attended the screening. Future plans are to show the screening across Fairfax and other regions.

Former Virginia State Conference NAACP Interim-Executive Director Dies

Jack Gravely, WTVR radio host and the Interim Executive Director of the NAACP’s Virginia State Conference, died of a heart attack last month. Gravely had been brought back to regenerate the State Conference. He served in the position for nearly a year and resigned in July. Read more on Gravely’s life and legacy here: WTVR - Jack Gravely

Former NAACP VA State Executive Director Jack Gravely spoke last year at the Fairfax County NAACP Justice for Natasha Rally.

Fairfax County Town Hall

The Fairfax County Communities of Trust Committee has partnered with other organizations to sponsor a Town Hall on Unity, Justice and Peace. The event will be held on September 10, from 1-3 at the Centreville Baptist Church . Come hear from county, civic and faith leaders on the issues facing the country and how we, as a community, should address them. Also listen to line officers and citizens who share their concerns. It is also an opportunity to let us know your concerns and issues.

Why is our country in such chaos? What are the underlying issues and concerns? What affect do economic conditions have on social justice? What are your responsibilities as a citizen? Questions for the panel will be taken from the audience. Participating organizations include ACLU, SEUI, NAACP, NAKASAC, and Voices of Vietnam.

81st Virginia State Conference in Alexandria, October 28th - 30th

This year’s NAACP Virginia State Conference, hosted by the Alexandria branch, will be held locally at the Alexandria Westin, 400 Courthouse Square, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. If you’ve always wanted to participate in a statewide NAACP conference, now would be your opportunity. The meeting will commence on Friday, October 28th and extend through Sunday, October 30th.

The theme of the meeting concentrates on the national NAACP’s “Game Changers for the 21st Century”:

Economic Sustainability
Education
Health
Public Safety and Criminal Justice
Voting Rights and Political Representation
Expanding Youth & Young Adult Engagement

The Fairfax County Branch will select delegates at our September 10 membership meeting.

Hunter Mill Community Forum

Supervisor Cathy Hudgins will host a community forum on the evening of September 8th, 7 – 9 PM, to discuss the ongoing work associated with the Ad Hoc Police Practices Commission, to include a panel of community leaders and police representatives. Fairfax NAACP President Shirley Ginwright will participate on the panel. Ginwright serves on the Commission’s Oversight Implementation Committee. The goal is to inform and engage the community about the topic of Oversight of the Police Department. The event will be held at the Reston Unitarian Universalist Church, 1624 Wiehle Avenue.

Advocate for Special Needs Children Prevails in Federal Complaint

Advocate Kandise Lucas received great news when learning the Federal Courts had ruled in her favor, in her complaint against the Chesterfield, VA, School Board. Special Needs Advocate Report

This victory was short lived, as Ms. Lucas had to go to court, in Chesterfield County, for “trespassing” the same charges that were ruled in her favor. At this hearing, the Chesterfield Court Judge sentenced her to 12 months in jail, the maximum amount that could be given to anyone charged with trespassing, in violation of the Federal Court order. Ms. Lucas is appealing this latest injustice.

Area 15 Freedom Fund Banquets

Several NAACP chapters (Arlington, Loudoun and Winchester) in our area have planned their 2016 Freedom Fund Banquets. This is an excellent opportunity to support them and meet members of other branches. For more info, contact us at [email protected].

Witness Living History

Be a part of the movement to enable modern folks (like us) to participate in historical events of significance. On September 24th at the Oatlands Historic House and Gardens in Leesburg, be on hand to witness the merciful act of Robert Carter III as he frees his more than 500 slaves in the year 1791. This will be the 225th anniversary of the “Deed of Gift”—the largest slave emancipation prior to the Civil War. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime re-enactment. For more info, go to www.oatlands.org or contact us at 703-777-3174

Governor McAuliffe Voter Restoration

Gov. McAuliffe has restored the voting rights of all 13,000 Virginians whose civil rights and voter registrations were canceled as a result of a court order. At a press conference in Richmond, he also announced a way forward for other returning citizens to get their rights restored. Individual grant orders and registration applications to the re-restored individuals have been mailed. The Secretary of Commonwealth's office will continue to restore civil rights back to the remaining 200,000 individuals on an individualized basis, starting with those who have been released the longest. Individuals who seek to have their rights restored can provide their contact information and make the request directly to the Secretary of Commonwealth's office, and they will be prioritized.

A database containing the contact information of those whose voting rights have been restored has been populated. Organizations, to include the NAACP, are reaching out to these individuals to assist them in registering. If you know of individuals who wish to have their rights restored, please have them submit a request on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/ror . Individuals without internet access can call the SOC at 804-692-0104 or mail-in a contact form. See more at: https://governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/ror

Education Week Report re Incarceration Funding Increasing at

Triple the Rate of Education Funding

In the midst of nationwide calls by communities to end police brutality, a July 8, 2016, post on Education Week 's Politics K-12 blog covered a report by the U.S. Department of Education indicating that states and cities across the country have increased spending on prisons and jails at triple the rate of funding for public education in preschool through 12th grade ( Corrections Spending Grows at Triple the Rate of School Funding, Ed. Dept. Reports ). Full article here: Ed Week Article - Budget Priorities

NAACP Voter Registration Drive in Full Swing

The October 17, 2016 voter registration deadline is quickly approaching and hundreds of thousand of eligible voters remain unregistered to vote, or still need to update their registration information to reflect recent change of name or address. Here are a few frequently asked questions that may help you or someone you know to prepare your plan to vote this Election.

I am not sure of my registration status or where my polling place is located?

You can check by going to www.elections.virginia.gov or call 703.222.0776.

I am a College Student and will be away at college on Election Day?

You can submit an absentee ballot request through November 1, 2016 at www.vote.elections.virginia.gov

I have concerns on how I will get to the polls on Election Day?

You should consider voting early. You, and along with many Virginia voters, may qualify to vote before Election Day, in-person absentee voting. All you will need to do is to go to one of the Early Voting locations within Fairfax County, or County in which you reside, and select the appropriate code for the reason you need to vote early. There are 19 valid reasons to vote in-person absentee, including working and commuting to and from home for 11 or more hours between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Election Day; traveling outside of your County/city of residence, or being a College Student, Active Military, First Responder; Disabled/Ill, Caregiver or Pregnant. Check the Virginia Department of Elections for more information and to review the codes at: http://elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/absentee-voting/index.html

If I vote by mail or in-person absentee will my vote be counted?

Yes, your absentee ballot is counted on election night and your vote is included with the reported results.

Where would I go to vote in-person absentee?

Early Polling Location and Times Fairfax Government Center, 12000 Government Center Pkwy, Rm 2/3 Fairfax 22035

Weekdays Sept 23-Oct 14, 8am-4:30pm; Thurs until 7pm.
Weekdays Oct 17-Nov 4, 8am-8pm
Saturdays: Oct 1-Nov 5, 9am-5pm

OR any of the 8 Fairfax County Satellite Early Voting Locations:

Weekdays Oct 17–Nov 4, 2pm-8pm
Saturdays: Oct 1-Nov 5, 9am-5pm