Thank you to our Supporters...

This past weekend we hosted the Annual convention of the Kansas State Conference which concluded with our Annual Freedom Fund Banquet. This is the one major fund-raising event held by the branch each year and we would not be successful as a branch were it not for the tremendous showing of support we receive each year from our local community.

This year, thanks to your generous support and commitments, we have reached our annual fund-raising goals. To show you that you support is well placed, I would like to present to you a brief listing of our accomplishments for 2007. This is the return on your investment.

Membership

• Submitted a list of 25 College students to be chartered as the WSU NAACP College chapter
• Wichita Youth Council President Amani Myles was elected Vice-President of the Kansas State NAACP Youth Council.
• Wichita Youth Council Treasurer Kyron Cox was elected treasurer of the Kansas State NAACP Youth Council.
• Wichita Youth Council Secretary Isaiah Myles was elected to the Executive Committee of the Kansas State NAACP Youth Council.

Enhancing Advocacy Training

• On September 22nd, I traveled to Salina Kansas and spoke with students from Brown-Mackie College about legislative advocacy and the NAACP. All of the students in attendance joined the Salina Branch that evening.
• Hosted a reception for 5 women from the nation of Kenya who were visiting the United States with the “Kenyans working for Good Government” program.

Policy Advocacy

• Branch Vice President/District 1 City Councilperson Lavonta Williams has done a wonderful job of advocating for the citizens of her district which encompasses the predominately African American Central Northeast community.
• President Myles now serves on the Wichita Airport Advisory Board and the Community Corrections board
• Marvin Stone now serves on the Juvenile Corrections board
• Charles Coleman now serves on the Cultural arts funding board
• Walt Chapel now serves as the Chairman and VJ Sessions as the Vice-Chair of the City of Wichita Racial Profiling Advisory Board.
• Loren Breckenridge now serves as the Chairman and Kenya Cox as the Vice-Chair of the City of Wichita’s Task Force to deal with small and disadvantaged businesses.
• Kevin Myles continues to serve on the Kansas State Racial Profiling Task Force.
• Emile McGill continues to serve on Governor Sebelius' 2010 Kansas Education Committee

Criminal Justice

• Worked with the WSU African American Student Association (soon to become the WSU branch NAACP) and participated in a Jena 6 forum which was held at the Rhatigan Center on September 19th.
• Helped to plan and moderated a State-Wide Racial Profiling Task Force town-hall meeting in Wichita on September 20th.
• Kevin Myles has been named to serve on the State Wide Racial Profiling Task Force’ Officer training Sub-committee which will begin meeting this month
• Filed a complaint with the FBI and DOJ on behalf an African American woman who was allegedly beaten by an officer of the Wichita PD.
• Filed a complaint with the FBI and DOJ on behalf of two Hispanics who allege Police misconduct and use of excessive force
• Filed 3 new racial profiling cases with the Kansas Human Rights Commission
• Filed a formal charge against the KC Gas station for selling drug paraphernalia in violation of the new Kansas statute that we drafted. Police went in and seized 3,000 pieces of Paraphernalia. And because the station is within 1,000 feet of Allison Middle School, the owners were both arrested on felony counts.
• Successfully handled Federal Mediation on behalf of employees of the VA Hospital

Educational Excellence

• Participated in a panel discussion along with Wichita State University Vice-President, the USD259 General Counsel, and the President of USD259 on the campus of WSU on the Supreme Court’s deseg ruling.
• On 9/5 I attended the Superintendent’s “State of the District” address
• On 9/8 I spoke at the Parent to Parent Support group’s annual Breakfast about Parental involvement
• Held separate meetings with representatives of the District and the School Board to discuss the district’s intent with regard to busing
• Keynoted the Kansas and Missouri Associations of Private and Career Colleges annual conference
• Met with the Kansas Education Commissioner and delivered a copy of our 4-point plan to End the Achievement gap.
• Started the Ron A. Walters Leadership Academy for youth between the ages of 12 and 16.
• Participated along with the Wichita Alliance of Black School educators and the Parent to Parent Support Group in two “Youth Speak-Out” forums. The forms were attended by 300 African American Students and their parents.
• Partnered with the Wichita Branch NAACP Youth Council and the Wichita Black Arts Festival Committee to host a Youth Teen-Summit dealing with the negative terms and images in Youth and hip-hop culture

Political Empowerment

• Wrote a county supplemental budget request and worked as a member of the Sedgwick County Voter coalition to get the Board of County Commissioners to earmark $100,000.00 for the purchase of new voting machines to replace some of those the removed when we switched to touch screen machines.
• We are currently working with the Sedgwick County voter coalition and it’s 25 member organizations on a multi-organizational voter education program
• Scheduled a meeting with Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh to discuss the National Voter Registration Act and the non-compliance of our Departments of motor vehicles.
• Reached out to other organizations with similar interests to build a coalition to press for changes in the law affecting Voter Registration. (Now known as our “20 by 10” campaign)
• On February 10th, we co-sponsored a Legislative Town Hall meeting with the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, Representatives Goudeau and Miller, Senators Betts and Haley, and the Urban League.

Other

• We are continuing to meet as a member of the WYEP partnership and as a member of the African American Coalition
• On July 11th the Branch received a National Thalheimer Award from NAACP Chairman Julian Bond for outstanding branch activities.
• The Wichita Branch Health Committee participated along with representatives of City and County Government, local hospitals and safety net clinics, in a County-wide Health Access Summit intended to develop strategies to make quality health care accessible to everyone.

So on behalf of the Wichita Branch of the NAACP, we would like to say thank you to all of you in the local community and the business community who have given time and/or resources to our organization. Thanks to your support, we will continue to serve this community with integrity and purpose for years to come.

KM

NAACP, Current-Affairs, Activism, Civil-Rights, Current-Events