Analysis of NAACP the Cincinnati Brach - Research Paper Example

NAACP the Cincinnati Brach Introduction National Association for the Advancement of the Colored people is an organization that ensures social, political, economic, and education equality for all persons. The organization ensures equality to all persons inconsiderate of their color or ethnicity. Therefore, it takes the position of the oldest and the largest civil rights organization. It encompasses the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders, and members who have a strong conviction if not calling to fight for justice for all Americans (White 132). They main mission is to ensure that the all Americans citizens have equal rights and access to education and voting rights inconsiderate of their color or origin. The organization has more than half a million members and supporters who are widely recognized at the grass-roots levels as civil rights members. These members are the premier advocates for civil rights at the community level. They campaign for equal opportunity and conduct voter’s mobilization. Formation The group was formed in response to the continued horrific practice of lynch and race riot in Illinois where Abraham Lincoln rested. Violence was a common phenomenon against the blacks as at this time. A group of whites led by Mary White and William English Walling called for an impromptu meeting to discuss about the racial injustice. The meeting had sixty members of whom seven were blacks. They released a centennial launched at the celebration of the Lincoln’s birthday. The ultimate outcome was to establish a body that would safeguard the rights of the non-whites. The NAACP, at its establishment had a main objective of ensuring equality for the minority group of citizens in the United States. Its mission has been to eliminate all existing and possible barriers of racial in a democratic process. The main offices of the organization are in New York but it has established branches across the continent (Cortner 57). NAACP Cincinnati Branch The Cincinnati branch of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had its establishment in 1915. It started with only 20 members. People at this time feared to join the organization because it was perceived as a radical organization, hence one would run a risk of losing job if found to be its member. Initially the group had no office and the members used to meet in one of the members home in a merry go round. The greatest achievement of the Cincinnati branch was the elimination of divided schools for the blacks and the whites. It also achieved break through in employment where the public sectors could absorb any person as long he qualifies, holding other factors constant. By mid sixties, the membership of the group had grown to thousands. It now started assuming other anti-discrimination methods like demonstrations and sit-ins in order to accomplish their goal (Sieving 143). Mission Statement and Vision Statements of the NAACP (The Cincinnati Branch) The vision statement of the National Association for the Advancement of colored people is to built a society in which the individuals living a certain jurisdiction are exposed to equal rights. It also aims at ensuring that hatred and discrimination based on color and origin no longer exist in the society. The organization has a mission of ensuring that the political, education, social, and economic equality for all persons and eliminate race and ethnicity. The organization also has a constitution in which it has well set objectives. The principal objectives of the organization are to ensure equality for all citizens in terms of politics, education, and education. It also aims at achieving equality and eliminating prejudice among all the United States citizens. The NAACP focuses at removing the barriers of discrimination based on race in democratic process. The organization aims at informing the entire public of the adverse effects of racial discrimination and its possible procedures of elimination. The organization also focuses at educating the citizens on their constitutional rights and enacting lawful measures to impose the same. Organization’s concerns The NAACP group works to eliminate race-base discrimination. The vision statement of the organization is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights for all persons and eliminate any form of discrimination based on race. The objectives of the organization are to ensure political, educational, and economic equality to all the citizens of the United States. It also aims achieving equality and eliminating race prejudice among the citizens of the US. The organization aims at removing barriers of racial discrimination through a democratically agreed process. It also seeks to enact and enforce federal, state, and local laws that limit people of a certain race to access of certain rights or privileges enjoyed by others (White 167). The organization has plans to educate citizens and the public on the adverse psychological and emotional effects of discrimination to the victims. The organization seeks to educate the persons on their constitutional rights and therefore take lawful actions to safeguard the same. The Cincinnati branch has established system that ensures the objectives are on the fulfillment end. Petition to Stop Termination of Police Officers In the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP the number of employment has decreased substantially. To curb the effect the management of the organization at this specific branch is working now on termination of the employment of the police officers said the president of the NAACP in the Cincinnati branch Christopher Smitherman. The petition launched at the Cincinnati city council said that the organization should give citizens opportunity for employment positions other than the police officers (Woodson 4). The petition raised at the council offices aimed at firing the existing police officers in their various ranks and replace them with the common jobless citizens. This on going process had seen six police officers be fired and allowed for an interview with the Simon Leis. The motion has a back u from the majority of the council so the mayor has no say over it. The citizens are encouraged to join the Cincinnati group to table the selection of the interested persons. Structure and governance of NAACP The 64-member board of governors, a chairperson, an executive director, and six vice presidents governs the Cincinnati branch. The executive management of the organization is in Baltimore and its legislative developmental offices are in New York. Generally, the NAACP has approximately 500,000 members divided among the seven regions with 1700 active local branches. The branches have organization in the local communities that represent the organization at these levels. The governing board of NAACP has a concrete composition of the members. It comprises of the youth, adult members who are both white and blacks. The members however are not in position to hold a seat for more than two terms. Elections are therefore held on annual basis to replace the 64 members. The board oversees the matters of policy that arise in the board meetings and evaluated by the CEO. All the members of executive committee except the chairperson and the treasurer are part of the board of directors (Sieving 236). The CEO of the organization does not have the voting rights but according to the organizations constitution he is the association’s spokes man. Constituencies that support the NAACP The NAACP receives support and help from very many world organization and bodies. These organizations work towards bettering the services and the functionality of the organization. The American Civil Liberties Union is an organization that works hand in hand with the NAACP. It basic function is to protect and preserve certain constitutional rights for a specific portion of the country’s population. It fights for the rights of those who have for many years been denied their basic rights. These groups are like the gays, lesbians, transgender, and many others. The union has currently linked with the NAACP and it is effectively advocating for the rights of the African American. Another supportive constituent to the NAACP is the American Association for Affirmative Action. This group works to advance the affirmative action of equality in terms of opportunity. It also works to combat the idea of discrimination of any one based on gender, race, and ethnicity. This body serves as the official watchdog of the NAACP and ensures equity in the workplace (Finkelman 89). Congress of Racial Equity is another organization that aims at making equality and justice prevail among the United States citizens. The organization has affiliation in the country across the world and works with NAACP to achieve its mission. Lastly, National Urban League is anther organization that works with the NAACP. The organization is the oldest group to make any portend relation with the NAACP and to fight for the rights of the minority especially the non-whites. The basic aim of the organization was to help the African American gain economic sufficiency and acquire the sense of social responsibility. Apart from these, there are other over hundred affiliations and about 34 states that support the idea of NAACP. Recruitment and Membership to the organization The NACCP organization has strategic measures to attract the constituent and other organization to join the group. For example, it launches the bid to recruit members every year. The membership committee reviews its current association frequently in order to address the current membership status. The organization has set goals to increase the total membership by 50% starting October 2013. For instance, the NAACP groups has plans to commute from door to door in a bid to boost its national membership by reminding the Americans on the organization functions and how one can get to be a member of the organization (White 254). Through the door-to-door mission, they will get to understand the actual functioning of the organization hence act as a wake-up call for all. The organization is also expanding its membership form blacks alone and extending to the Latinos. The organization is also intending to collaborate with press and public committees to acquire members still. This will help the organization to spread its policy to the citizens who will get to know more about the company and member. The organization has free membership for other organizations and volunteers who wish to work with it. This has acted as a motivating factor for any willing organization. The organization also has an established that governs the operations of the new recruits and advises them accordingly. Supervision of the recruit’s activities is very easy as each new member is assigned an old employee who is accountable over him. Policy changes by the NAACP The NAACP has great plans to expand its policies and diversify its objectives. The chief policy of the association is however directed towards the education programs of the United States. The organization calls for review of the education policy of the country. It has challenged the governors and the education heads of the country over the current education policy, which encompasses many racial disparities. The organization calls for education implementation act of the country’s constitution. Their intention is to withdraw the elimination found in the education sector and embrace equality in the system. The organization is struggling to achieve a civil rights policy that will entail equality for all citizens inconsiderate of their color or race. The movement is seeking to restore African Americans rights that have guaranteed in the 14th and 15th amendment act of the US constitution. The organization in its struggle to achieve the mission it has led to the establishment of the Supreme Court (Sieving 432). The major role of the Supreme Court was to safeguard the rights of individuals. Currently, the NAACP has diversified its roots and following the issue of mass incarceration and the criminal injustices systems that are growing common in the country. Tactics the organization to achieve its goals The NAACP has well stipulated strategies and tactics to achieve its mission and policy plans. It has advocated using peaceful protest methods like public marches, speeches, rallies, and boycotts to achieve their goal. Martin Luther King, who was a main player to the organizations success, introduced this non-violent means form of advection. The organization also plans to use the media of the country to pass message to the intended persons, that is, the racist in the white community. The organization aims at collecting funds through fundraising to finance its personnel to perform their tasks (Cortner 89). The association reviews for financial support from corporate contributions and donation from members to meet its annual conventions. The limited disclosure to financial information of the company has been the main challenge facing the organization though it is finding its solution in the increased income sources. The organization has greatly improved its internal financial control system by establishing an interim body that runs the financial matters to which the board members are limited. The financial misfit resulted from the preceding CEO Dr. William Gibson who made it difficult to consolidate the organizations financial activities. The NAACP's Future The NAACP is one of the oldest organizations found in the United States. Currently, it is struggling to be the most relevant African American rights activist. Without defending the believe NAACP remains to be an important institution in safeguarding the rights of the minority. High unemployment, poor education services and denial of voting rights among the blacks has been the main source of fight for the organization. The progress of the organization had been fine all through up to 1960s when the former communication executive, Bruce Gordon, was appointed as the new CEO. Appointment of Gordon was a move in the wrong direction. He totally changed the basic idea of the formation of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as right activist for minority. He held that defend for the civil rights of the African American was oriented to the black middle class and the post civil rights ideology. His strategies turned to eliminate the whites bringing a misunderstanding on the sole intention of the organization (Sieving 476). This incidence led to the then president of the United States George Bush chip in to ease the situation. In his speech against the matter, George bush said that fight for the blacks should not be oriented on the civil rights but the value of the dollar. The acts of Bruce Gordon led to ignorance and disrespect of the organization by the Republican Party. Importance of NAACP The organization has recognition across the world as having made a great impact on the fight for the rights of the minority. Since its inception in 1909, the organization has been fighting for the rights of the Africans Americans. It however continues to tear down the legal and the social structure of the racial segregation. The advocacy of the organization has garnered numerous victories in the fight against the discrimination like for instance it passed the anti-lynching law. The NAACP is built on a non-profit making basis. This has allowed it to meet specific cultural and socioeconomic needs of the disadvantaged, the underrepresented, and the unrepresented African American in the. From the beginning, the NAACP has been able to defend the rights of the blacks across the world. The main success of the organization has been to draw the alliances between the blacks and the whites. It has also been able to represent a wider array of the social service groups (Woodson 25). The organization continues to serve as the bridge to the vital resources that have for a long time been inaccessible to the African American. The organization has been empowering the African American to have a positive attitude towards their stay in the country. The organization facilitates change through its various programs like the frequent researches, development projects, and the program implementation (Mullings and Marble 547). Challenges For the last thirty years, the organization has been encountering national pressure hence a constant decline in its performance. The decline has been due to the growing number of black officials selected in to the various offices. These blacks increase the political influence in the organization hence losing its credibility. The organization, in mid 1960s rocked a major scandal where it was associated with internal power struggle that led to a detrimental decline in its workability. Consequently, the organization recorded another awful case where it was associated with sexual harassment. This led to many doubts about the organizations viability. The organization yet rocked by another scandal of financial mismanagement between the former executive director and the current board (White 304). Although few of the organization’s officials disagree that the organization is being mismanaged the fact is that it is facing serious and complex problems. The view of returning the organization to its original state might cause the directors a lot. Conclusion The NAACP has an impressive legacy and has credit as a major force in the struggle for secure of the civil rights. Despite the weaknesses and the internal problems facing the association, it has the potential to stand again and gain its prominence. For this to happen, the organization has to radically restructure and look for a way to achieve financial stability. The most important of the NAACP to recall is that its mission should address the issue as a matter of concern in a broader spectrum. The board of the organization should however change the environment of the NAACP to a better working place. The organization is involved in the advancement of minority civil rights and liberties in a strategic scope and focuses on life as an important aspect. The organization should look for means to ease the developing problem of financial problems than it once did. The organization should maintain goodwill with other organization that have the same focus as it. Today most of the important contributions made by the NAACP are through various programs that empower African American as no lesser beings (Sieving 534). Works cited Cortner Richard. A Scottsboro Case in Mississippi: The Supreme Court and Brown V. Mississippi. Mississippi: Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2005. Print. Finkelman Paul. Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-First Century, Volume 1. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print. Mullings Leith and Marable Manning. Let Nobody Turn Us Around: Voices of Resistance, Reform, and Renewal : an African American Anthology. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. Print. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. NAACP: Celebrating a Century : 100 Years in Pictures. Layton: Gibbs Smith, 2008. Print. Ransby Barbara. Ella Baker And The Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision. North Carolina: Univ of North Carolina Press, 2005. Print. Sieving Christopher. Soul Searching: Black-Themed Cinema from the March on Washington to the Rise of Blaxploitation. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2011. Print. White Ronald. Liberty and Justice for All: Racial Reform and the Social Gospel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. Print. Woodson Carter. The father of black history. Retrieved from. http://www.naacp.org/pages/naacp-history-Carter-G.-Woodson on 23rd may 2012 Read More