I hadn't planned on speaking in Orlando this week, Dr. Turner and I wish I hadn't had such a heartbreaking reason to do so.

Forty-nine people were viciously slain last weekend because of their sexual orientation—during Pride Month, no less—in the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

And now I'm on my way to Charleston, South Carolina, where nearly one year ago, 9 of our brothers and sisters were murdered during Bible study simply because they were black.

It is morally incomprehensible that this keeps happening.

Join me in a moment of silence tomorrow at 9:05 p.m. ET to honor the victims and families of Orlando, Charleston, and anyone who has fallen victim to hate. Share it with your friends, too:

It's been a trying week for our country: the grief is palpable. But out of this pain, we must rise up and take action. Silence can't protect us, but speaking out against hate and limiting access to weapons that can so easily destroy so many lives—that can turn things around.

The ignorance that moves terrorists to take so many lives is fueled by the hateful rhetoric we hear every day on talk radio, cable news, and even from our own elected officials and someone seeking to be our nation's next president. This rhetoric seeks to paint minority groups as "other," or "the problem with this country today."

The real problem with this country today is too much hate.

The NAACP has always stood against hate. We have consistently called for responsible gun control, and today we'll raise our voices even louder.

We are angry, we are heartbroken, we are tired. But in times like these, we have to come together to heal.

Please join us in a moment of silence this Friday at 9:05 p.m. ET, and encourage your friends to join as well.

In solidarity,

Cornell William Brooks
President and CEO
NAACP

PAID LIBRARY INTERNSHIP & SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

This NAACP/JMRL partnership is to encourage local African- American students to consider professional library work as a career option. To further that goal, the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP and the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library (JMRL) have established a library internship and scholarship program for students in the city of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson.

Program Details

This program offers 200 annual hours of library work experience and a stipend of $2,000. In addition, Interns are eligible to apply for an annual scholarship of $1,000 to be used toward completion of an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degree. Total possible annual value of this program: $3,000.      Click here to download the brochure about the scholarship program.

Application

Applications may be submitted on paper or in electronic form to Jefferson-Madison Regional Library. Successful applications must include the following:

•  An essay of at least 300 words describing the applicantʼs commitment to education and literacy, commenting on why the NAACP is needed today, and expressing the applicant’s interest in public library work.
• Transcripts showing all high school courses completed and GPA.
•  A list of all work experience.
•  High school students must submit a letter of college admittance. or a letter from a high school counselor verifying the applicant's intention to attend college.
• Letters of reference from two non-family members familiar with the applicant’s academic and/or work background.

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m., April 22, 2016.
Electronic copies must include the subject “NAACP/JMRL Program”
and be submittedvia email to:  halliday@jmrl.org
Paper copies may be submitted to:
Library Director
Jefferson-Madison Regional Library,
201 East Market Street,
Charlottesville, VA 22902

Application Review Procedure

Applications will be reviewed by a committee representing the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP and JMRL.  The Internship/Scholarship Award will be announced before May 21, 2016.

For further Information, please contact:

Library Director John Halliday,
201 E. Market St.
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Email: halliday@jmrl.org
or
Albemarle–Charlottesville NAACP President,
Dr. M. Rick Turner
P.O. Box 1522
Charlottesville, VA 22903
 

The NAACP/JMRL Internship and Scholarship Program is supported by a generous grant from the Friends of Jefferson-Madison Regional Library Endowment Fund.
 Click here to download the brochure about the scholarship program.

A court ruling in Danville and the recent action of Governor Terry McAuliffe have cleared the way for Charlottesville to be able to remove the giant statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from Charlottesville downtown.

As members of the Charlottesville community, we demand the removal of this offensive memorial to a man who led the Confederate cause to maintain the enslavement of our ancestors and those of our neighbors.

The time to act is now!

Contact City Council today by emailing Council@Charlottesville.org or leave a message for all city councilors by calling: 434-970-3113. 

Mayor Mike Signer
Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy
Bob Fenwick
Kathy Galvin
Kristin Szakos

Robert E. Lee never came to Charlottesville and was never a part of our local history.  This statue was erected for the sole purpose of celebrating the Confederacy and establishing the supremacy of its cause.  It has no place in our community. 

Tell Charlottesville City Council: It's time for Robert E. Lee to go!
 

The interim executive director of the Virginia NAACP called for an independent investigation into the fatal police shooting of an 18-year-old black teen armed with a BB gun in Roanoke County last month.

Jack Gravely joined Brenda Hale, the president of the Roanoke branch of the NAACP, for a press conference Wednesday evening on the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge in Roanoke. They reiterated demands Hale made last week that the Roanoke County Police Department conduct an unbiased and transparent investigation into the death of Kionte Desean Spencer.

Read the full story and accompanying pictures on the Roanoke Times newspaper website by clicking here.

At our February 8, 2016 branch meeting, Dr. Robert (Bob) Gest III, and Ms. Shelley Sass led a book discussion on Bryan Stevenson’s book, Just Mercy: A story of justice and redemption.  Their summary is available by clicking here.
As part of the 2016 Virginia Book festival, you will have the opportunity to see and hear the Bryan Stevenson at the Paramount Theater on March 19 as he speaks about his experiences as a social justice lawyer.  Click here for details.

Walking While Black: L.O.V.E. Is the Answer

New Harvest Ministries in Baltimore, MD (Bishop Marcus Johnson) and the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library in Charlottesville, VA (referred by the Albemarle/Charlottesville NAACP) have become the first two organizations in the world to license the upcoming documentary film "Walking While Black: L.O.V.E. Is the Answer" (www.walkingwhileblackthemovie.com).  As pre-completion financial supporters, their organization names will roll in the credits of the film and they will receive other benefits such as filmmakers attending one of their screenings and participating in a Q&A.

This is an important milestone for the development of a film that is offering a much-needed solution to racial profiling.  

Pre-completion licensees are literally helping to get the film made.  Funds raised from these early-adopters will go towards covering production and development expenses.  We have a deadline to raise $7,500 by 3/1/16 to cover expenses for a 3/18-23 shoot in Baltimore and Washington.  If we shoot in March, we anticipate completing the film before the November Presidential election.  That would be a huge win since racial equality is a major campaign issue.  If we miss that deadline, we'll have to shoot the film in November, which means completing the film in mid-2017.  The difference between the two completion dates is immeasurable.

Organizations that license the film by 3/1/16 will receive the license for only $295 per year (a $200 discount each year) including access to all of the online educational materials we create to accompany the film.  A license grants an organization the right to screen the film at its location as many times as it likes.  If viewers are charged $5 for the screening and a discussion, the organization only needs 59 viewers to recoup the $295.  In a classroom setting, a mere 1 or two screenings of the film should make the film pay for itself.  The organization can then use any profits it generates from screenings and workshops to further their own human rights programming.  It's a great investment for any organization that is committed to helping end racial profiling through education that leads to changes in hearts.  

The licensing agreement for the Walking While Black documentary film is attached.  This agreement provides the framework for how an organization (ministry, law enforcement agency, human rights nonprofit, school, library, company, etc.) can use the film as a tool to transform relationships between peace officers and the rest of the community through the truly collaborative community policing model of L.O.V.E. (Learn, Open your heart, Volunteer yourself in service and Empower others to do the same).

Teamwork makes the dream work.  We have a lot of work to do to realize the dream of racial equality in America.  Encourage organizations you're involved with to secure a license by 3/1 and together we'll make this film, and the dream of racial equality, a reality!  We only need 26 licensees by 3/1 to enable us to shoot in March and 85 licensees nationwide total for us to complete the production and editing of a film that can provide a positive benefit to millions of people nationwide.  We all know that racial profiling makes America weaker.  Here's your chance to make America greater. 

Join us – by licensing (see below) or joining the fundraising campaign by clicking here.

Secure a license in two easy steps:
1.  Fill out the attached form (click here to download), scan and return it to me via email.
2.  Visit www.walkingwhileblackthemovie.com, press the "Donate Now" button and select the "Licensee" option to pay the $295 fee.   

My best,

A.J. Ali
Director & Executive Producer
Walking While Black: L.O.V.E. Is The Answer
323-577-5976 or 443-463-5009
www.ontheteewithajali.com
www.walkingwhileblackthemovie.com

Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution: The American Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1970: An Exhibition

The exhibition is in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, First Floor Lobby, from January 18 through February 29, 2016.   It is a component of the University of Virginia’s 2016 Community MLK [Martin Luther King, Jr.] Celebration “The Call to Higher Ground.”  

The Small Special Collections Library is open Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Fridays, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Saturdays, 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., closed on Sundays.

The American Civil Rights Movement (1954-1970) intensely transformed American society and inspired similar movements worldwide. Its nonviolent protests and civil resistance for equal citizenship under the law enhanced African-Americans’ self-dignity and collective commitment in the face of white supremacist terrorism. Others too, were allies, martyrs and beneficiaries of this undertaking to fulfill the promises America had made on paper since 1776.

One of this exhibition’s three display cases features the life and career of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., charismatic leader of the Civil Rights Movement and “a drum major for justice and peace” in his letters and publications. The exhibit’s 24 items on display comprise letters, newsletters, photographs, poetry and reports; special items of interest include:

·         A 1960 NAACP voting rights comic book
·         Alex Haley’s 1963 interview of Malcolm X
·         A 1969 Black Panther Party coloring book
·         A 1976 Julian Bond for President bumper sticker
·         Auction catalog for a 2006 planned sale of Dr. King’s papers
·         An inscribed copy of Coretta Scott King’s published memoirs.

On a personal note, I wish to thank my Small Special Collections Library colleagues for their technical expertise and advice and moral support during the preparation of this exhibition: Eliza Gilligan, George Riser, Regina Rush, Molly Schwartzburg, David Whitesell, and, Jennifer Harmon of Alderman Library.

On another personal historical note: I once had the honor of a private meeting with Coretta Scott King at her Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change office in Atlanta. During our conversation she smilingly remarked, “Professor, you seem very nervous.” I replied, “Mrs. King, it’s not every day that I am in the presence of Civil Rights royalty.”

Sincerely,

Prof. Ervin L. Jordan, Jr. (Associate Professor)
Research Archivist, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia

UVA Leadership in Academic Matters Fellow (2009)
President’s Commission on Slavery and the University (2013-2017)
Advisory Committee on African-American Interpretation at Monticello
Affiliated faculty, John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History,
      University of Virginia College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation 2019 Commemoration Steering Committee
State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB)
Supreme Court of Virginia Historical Commission
Senior Advisor, Norfolk State University Board of Visitors (2013-14)

    "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (“On Being A Good Neighbor” in Strength to Love, 1963)

At the January 11, 2016 monthly meeting of the Albemarle-Charlottesville branch of the NAACP, Mrs. Annie M. Merritt, 101 years young, received her NAACP Lifetime Membership Plaque, presented by Dr. Rick Turner, President.

All those in attendance at the Albemarle-Charlottesville branch of the NAACP meeting on January 11, 2016. Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP is proud to share this special and important recognition of her accomplishment.

From: Rodney B. Thomas, Legislative Representative – Lobbyist – Virginia State Conference – NAACP

The Grand Larceny Threshold Bill was approved by the Senate Courts of Justice. While it does not meet the $1500 that VSCX-NAACP sought, it is a new beginning. The committee vote was 39 yea, 1 abstention.  On January 28, it passed the Virginia Senate by vote of 26-Yes to 14-No.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:
Grand larceny; threshold. Increases from $200 to $500 the threshold amount of money taken or value of goods or chattel taken at which the crime rises from petit larceny to grand larceny. The bill increases the threshold by the same amount for the classification of certain property crimes.

Follow this bill’s progress at: https://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2016/sb23/
You can also find your Delgate's email and postal address to urge them to support this bill.

SENATE PATRONS
Bryce E. Reeves (chief patron)
L. Louise Lucas (chief co-patron)
J. Chapman Petersen (chief co-patron)
Scott A. Surovell (chief co-patron)

HOUSE PATRONS
Mark L. Cole
Sam Rasoul
————–

Rodney B. Thomas, Legislative Representative – Lobbyist – Virginia State Conference – NAACP
Virginia State Conference – NAACP; 1214 W. Graham Road, Richmond, VA 23220
Tel: (804) 321-5678 * Email: thomasstatenaacp * Tel: (804) 677-8349
“Plan Purposefully; Prepare Prayerfully; Proceed Positively; Pursue Persistently