Kansas State and Wichita Branch President Kevin Myles to run for NAACP Board of Directors at next week's National Convention

On July 13th, at the 101st NAACP National Convention, I plan to run for the at large seat to the NAACP National  Board of Directors. As a committed NAACP Volunteer, I look forward to the opportunity to be of greater service to our association. As a "Field" activist, Branch President, and State Conference President, I look forward to the opportunity to amplify the voices and concerns of the units and volunteers who make up the association, as we also look for creative ways to refine and enhance our efforts through effective board governance. But moreover, as someone with a serious and abiding interest in the uplift of our community, my primary interest lies in doing all I can to help position the NAACP, one of our most enduring institutions, to deal with the new challenges we face as we enter this second century of civil rights.

We are faced now, not only with a resurgence, but truly a renaissance of xenophobic racialistic attitudes. The Supreme Court has been busy altering or stripping away rights and protections we've long taken for granted; several states are suing the Federal Government for the 'right' to not address a broken and inequitable health care system that leaves millions without coverage; other States like Arizona are creating new laws to target illegal immigration by profiling Hispanics; real estate and construction titans such as JMI Realty, Harlan Crow of Crow Realty, the Bradley Foundation, John Uhlmann of Jabez Territories, and John Zamrzla of the Western Pacific Roofing corporation are helping to finance a nationwide effort to eliminate affirmative action with Ward Connerly serving as the well-funded figure-head; television pundits are planning to hold their own "March on Washington" on the anniversary of King's address declaring their intent to "take back Civil Rights"; and as local papers across the country rush to offer web versions, many have seen their online comment sections become repositories of vile and hateful rhetoric.

We've always known that the work of the Association wasn't finished. But now, the reservoirs of race prejudice and bigotry have found new voice with the proliferation of electronic and personal media. Intolerance has been commercialized, and the Nation's oldest and largest Civil Rights organization must position itself to meet these new challenges. But with these new challenges, there are also new opportunities. Through the use of E-Journalism and Social media, we each now have the capacity to reach audiences like never before. It is imperative that we examine how this new capacity can be put to use for the furtherance of our message and mission.

Now I don't claim to have all the answers or to have the solutions to all that ails us... I'm just another soldier, standing on the shoulders of all those who came before me. But I am asking for your support because I come to the table with a skill-set that I believe will benefit the association and aid in our efforts to bring about a fair and just society, based on level playing fields, and free from the effects of race prejudice and discrimination. I come to the table with experience as a Branch and State Conference President, experience with management in the Public and Private Sectors, experience with Youth Development, experience with new media and E-activism, and experience with Board Governance.  I am asking for your support because I represent a new generation, well-trained and prepared, for the second century in civil rights. I am ready and willing to do my part, and I ask you for your vote.