I am posting the first of a three part article each week on the NAACP because a person on Facebook made some disparaging comments about the organization. NAACP Challenged state voting laws-1 Tommy Green – Mobile Beacon City Editor On March 14, 2012, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) testified before the United Nations’ (UN) panel in Geneva Switzerland concerning voting laws approved by some states, which violated civil and human rights by suppressing the votes of minorities and others. Other participants were the League of Women Voters, the ACLU and other organizations. First, my intent is to highlight the work that the NAACP has been doing since 1909 and is still doing today, fighting for civil and human rights for every disadvantaged person. There were a number of middle class Black people who thought that the NAACP was not relevant anymore. However, I am hoping that with the number of voter suppression laws implemented for the 2012 election that they will face the reality of America. Although, we have an African American President, we must not only pray for him, but we also must do our best and explain to our children the importance of having a righteous and intelligent African American as President. . Second, I want young sisters and brothers who haven’t seen the ugly under belly of America to know that some things have changed, but some things have remained the same. For instance, the NAACP testified before the U.N. panel in 2012. However, in 1947, W.E.B. Dubois, sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist delivered a speech and appealed to the world at the U.N. concerning civil and human rights. Third, I want to highlight to parents the history of the NAACP, so they will see the benefit of signing up their children for membership. This will give them a foundation in fighting for their rights nonviolently. The information in this article can be accessed by tying, “NAACP to challenge state voting laws before U.N. panel in Geneva.” William Douglas, McClatchy Newspapers, said, “A delegation from the venerable civil rights organization will present its case in Geneva on Wednesday before the United Nations Human Right Council, a body that normally addresses troubles in places such as Libya, Syria, and the Ivory Coast. The Geneva appearance is part of an NAACP strategy rooted in the 1940s, when the group looked to the United Nations and the international community for support in its domestic battle for civil rights for blacks and against lynching.” “Benjamin Todd Jealous, President, NAACP, said, ‘Now like in the past, the principle concern is voting rights. The past year more states in this country have passed more laws pushing more voters out of the ballot box than any point since Jim Crow. The power of the U.N. on state governments historically is to shame them and to put pressure on the U.S. government to bring them into line with global standards for democracy, best practices for democracy, that’s where we are. There are plenty examples—segregation of the U.S. to apartheid in South Africa to the death penalty here in the U.S.—of global outrage having an impact. The U.N. panel will hear Wednesday from two Americans impacted by the new laws: a convicted felon who served her time (Kemba Smith-Pradic) and a University of Texas student who might not be able to vote this year because of a law approved by the state legislature requiring voters to show government- approved photo identification,” according to William Douglas. I read a proverb, which said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This quote provides clarification on the NAACP going to the UN concerning voting suppression against people of color in 1947 and 2012. We need to pass this information to our children. “THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES!”
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 03:30:16 +0000
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