FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT
Da’Quan Love, Executive Director
press@naacpva.org

Virginia NAACP Extremely Concerned About Recent Events At Bluefield College

RICHMOND (February 11, 2021) – Virginia State Conference NAACP President Robert N. Barnette, Jr. issued the following statement today in response to the today’s statement issued by Bluefield College President Dr. David Olive:

“The Virginia NAACP is extremely concerned about the recent actions of Bluefield College that appear to suppress the nonviolent, silent protests of its student-athletes. Rather than supporting their Black players, Bluefield College chose to punish them in an attempt to silence their valid concerns.

The Virginia NAACP is actively monitoring the situation.”

ABOUT THE VIRGINIA NAACP

Founded in 1935, the Virginia State Conference of NAACP Branches (Virginia NAACP) is the oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization in the Commonwealth, overseeing over 100 NAACP branches, youth councils, and college chapters. The Virginia NAACP is focused on being the preeminent voice of Black Virginians and advocating for policies and programs to benefit Blacks and people of color. You can read more about the Virginia NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas by visiting VSCNAACP.org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT
Da’Quan Love, Executive Director
press@naacpva.org

Virginia NAACP Expresses Outrage in Failed Qualified Immunity Reform Efforts

Richmond, Virginia – The Virginia State Conference of the NAACP (Virginia NAACP) set forth its legislative priorities for 2021. This week, the Virginia NAACP saw both success and failure in the General Assembly. The House of Delegates passing the resolution to Declare Racism as a Public Health Crisis recognizes the inequities and systemic racism that permeates our everyday lives. The Constitutional Amendment further defines the qualifications of voters and will protect voters by ensuring that restrictive, unethical and racially biased laws cannot be enacted or enforced. Strengthening voter protections is a win for all Virginians. Providing localities the opportunity to extend voting to Sundays, allows them to determine how best to ensure all eligible voters in their communities have the opportunity to vote. These actions ensure that Virginia will be a better Virginia for Black people, people of color, the underserved and all of the Commonwealth.

We fully support the passing of Automatic Expungement of Criminal Offenses with no barriers and no petitions. Virginians must be offered the opportunity for a real second chance. Providing the path forward is a great step to real criminal justice reform. It is also time that mandatory minimum sentences are eliminated. Judges should be afforded the right to use discernment and other factors in sentencing individuals.

The Virginia NAACP is outraged that bills to end qualified immunity failed to pass in the House and the Senate. Protecting police officers at the detriment of the citizens of Virginia only serves to further diminish the trust needed between law enforcement and our communities.

President Robert N. Barnette, Jr states, “It is disappointing to say at least that the bills to end Qualified Immunity failed. Too often, law enforcement is allowed to break standards of decency. This only makes it harder for Black people, people of color and quite frankly all Virginians to turn to the police when needed.” 

The bi-partisan failure of House Bill 2045 Qualified Immunity is indicative of our legislators not prioritizing our citizens. We must have policies which hold law enforcement officers accountable for their behavior towards all of the communities they are sworn to protect and serve. The Virginia NAACP will continue to advocate for the end to qualified immunity.

Abolishing the death penalty, is long overdue in the Commonwealth. Research has proven that not only does the death penalty not deter crime, but it is disproportionally applied to Black people and people of color. Today’s passing in the Senate is an immensely huge step forward in ending this inhumane practice.

December 28, 2020

The Sentara Move2Health Equity Coalition has awarded a grant in the amount of $10,000.00 to the Albemarle-Charlottesville Branch of the NAACP for the purpose of addressing vaccine hesitancy in communities of color.

The grant tasks the Albemarle-Charlottesville Branch of the NAACP, in partnership with Blue Ridge Health District, UVA Health, Sentara Martha Jefferson, and religious leaders to develop a communication and information sharing plan that would address the concerns of communities of color regarding the reluctance of being vaccinated.

Our focus will be to host listening sessions and town hall meetings (virtual and socially distanced in-person if safely possible) in the communities of color to understand the barriers of being vaccinated, and to receive feedback on the roll out as well as to inform/influence a vaccination strategy.

The product of this endeavor is to produce a factually accurate and transparent video/Public Service Announcement (PSA) to be shared via all forms of media (YouTube, Face Book, local TV stations and religious leader) to educate communities of color and positively impact the acceptance of being vaccinated.

Baker-Butler is the first school in Virginia to be named a National Blue Ribbon school for closing the achievement gap between student population, English learners, special education students, and students coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

According to the Virginia Department of Education, 53 schools in the state met the criteria for the Blue Ribbon Program’s Exemplary Award for Closing Achievement Gaps, but only four schools this year received this award.

The Equity Specialist team at Albemarle County Public Schools received the Virginia Department of Education’s Mary Peake Award for Excellence in Education Equity. This award honors individuals and organizations that have “demonstrated a sustained commitment to eliminating inequities or remedying the effects of inequities in education”. 

 In describing the Excellence in Education Equity award, State Superintendent Dr. James Lane said: “This commitment includes efforts to close opportunity and achievement gaps; the elimination of disproportionality in school discipline, graduation and dropout rates; expanding access to gifted education and advanced programs and improving supports and outcomes for English learners”. 

The equity specialists include Ayanna Mitchell, Leilani Keys, and Lars Holmstrom and are led by Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bernard Hairston. 

Ms. Peake, who the award was named for, taught freed and enslaved blacks in the Hampton area to read.  Her classes were often held underneath the Emancipation Oak on Hampton University’s campus.  (Ms. Peake taught in the 1820-30’s before Hampton was organized, and died of tuberculosis in her early 30’s.)

ALBEMARLE-CHARLOTTESVILLE BRANCH 

of the

NAACP 

WE THANK YOU!