It's Election Time for the National Board

This month, throughout the organization, units will vote for 7 candidates to serve on the NAACP National Board of Directors. Each Branch/unit will discuss the ballot during their Annual meeting, and will then submit a single ballot representing the votes of all of that unit's voting delegates.

As with any election, as the date draws near, we each receive campaign literature in the mail and electronically, asking us to vote for or against specific candidates. There are various reasons to offer or withhold support. I tend to believe that people who have given of their time and effort so freely to a cause such as this, are all worthy of our appreciation and support. However, we can't vote for everybody, so I would like to share with you my personal thoughts and endorsements:

I ask that you would each give special consideration to the candidacy and re-election bid of Roslyn McCallister Brock. Roslyn Brock, who currently serves as the vice chair of the Board of directors, is a child of the NAACP movement. Roslyn was youngest person at 35 years old - and the first woman - to become the vice chair of the NAACP in its 98 year history.

Roslyn is the Director of System Fund Development for the Sisters of Bon Secours Health System, Inc., headquartered in Marriottsville, Maryland. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Virginia Union University. (B.S. ‘87) She also earned a master's degree in health services administration from George Washington University,(M.H.S.A. ‘89) and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (‘99).

Roslyn is also a member of several professional and civic organizations. They include the American Public Health Association, National Association of Health Service Executives, National Black MBA Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc., and The Links, Inc.

Her leadership skills have been recognized by several national publications. She was cited by "Ebony" magazine as a "Future Leader" ('89); and by "Good Housekeeping" as one of "100 Young Women of Promise" ('87). Honors include: Outstanding Alumna, Virginia Union University; Honorary Chairperson, National Black Family Summit; Martin Luther King, Jr., Medal for Human Rights, George Washington University; and 2003 Young Leaders Fellow for the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

~~~~~~

But Family, more than all of that, Roslyn represents the change that we as an organization need to embrace. And yes, change is needed. As the NAACP nears it's 100th anniversary, many in the community and general public are questioning our relevance. Society in all of it's facets is changing rapidly. Racism and discrimination are still shameful blights upon our society that require our attention and vigilance, but rooting out and eliminating those practices in all of their changing manifestations will require the development and employment of new skill-sets and new vision.

Technology and E-media have outpaced our Organization's ability to digest and incorporate it. As units struggle to compile accurate email rosters, youth have already moved forward to text, blogs, and social networking sites. Consequently, our effectiveness is dampened because we are losing the ability to share our own story in our own words with our younger generation, as we are simultaneously losing access to the new ideological battlefields where the issues of Race and Fairness are discussed. It's simply not enough to bring in a few college students to "work the computer"... Bigotry and hatred have become more nimble and more elusive; we will have to adapt and keep pace if we are to remain effective...

Ours is an 'aging' organization. Nowhere is this more conspicuous than in the composition of the National Board. Almost 60% of the board is over 60 years old and 34% of that group is over 70. The Board does have 7 youth members, but it is among the Adult members that the issue and the need is most apparent. On a 64 member Board of Directors there are only 6 Adult members who are under 50. In times such as this, we can ill-afford to offer mere tribute to the value and importance of Youth; we must purposefully integrate those ideals into our vision and decision-making.

If we are to adapt and effectively meet the challenges that lie ahead, we must begin the strategic work of succession planning. It is therefore incumbent upon us that as we vote, we each keep one eye on the present, but also cast one eye towards the future.

Roslyn has been a bridge for the 30 and 40 year old demographic to the National Board. She has been instrumental in spurring and encouraging the engagement of young professionals in the organization through efforts such as the Leadership 500 summit. She has been a strong advocate for change and I firmly believe that she represents the type of Leadership we need to ensure that the Legacy of the NAACP is carried forth into the future.

When you vote this month, I ask that you each would support my friend and our Vice-Chair, Roslyn McCallister Brock...

brgds,

Kevin Myles; President, Wichita Branch NAACP

Tech Tags: NAACP, Elections, Current+Events, Current+Affairs