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NAACP Services & Programs




Long Beach Branch NAACP Fit and Focus Program

(Sailing)


Dates: The sailing program will take place on the following Wednesdays in the months of August and September 2007: August 8th, August 22nd, August 29th, September 5th, and September 12th.


Time and Location: Program participants must be dropped-off at the Long Beach Yacht Club, 6201 Appian Way, Long Beach CA, 90803 by 3:30 pm each program day. Participants must be picked-up from this location at 8:30 pm. This will be coordinated by the Long Beach Boys and Girls Club.


Attendance: Program attendance and punctuality is important. Any participant this is absent from two program sessions will be excluded from further participation. Any late arriving participants must be at the Long Beach Yacht Club by 4:30pm in order to participate in that day's program.


Program Overview: Each program day will consist of approximately one hour of classroom or dock-side learning. During this time participants will learn the physical characteristics of a sailboat, the fundamentals of sailing, the basics of sailboat racing, and they will gain an understanding and appreciation of the marine environment. After that we embark for an actual sailboat race out on the waters of Long Beach harbor. Participants will be placed in strategic positions on the boat and contribute, along with seasoned sailboat racers, to the overall success of the boat. After the day's race, the participants will be invited back to the Long Beach Yacht Club for a post-race barbecue. The emphasis throughout this program is on learning new skills, and safety.


Volunteer Chaperones: Anyone interested in volunteering their time and participating for the day of the Sailing Program, please contact us via e-mail at info@lbcanaacp.org or via phone at (562) 494-6507.



NAACP Scholarships

Scholarship Program (National)

“Achieving excellence in education requires achieving equity in education. These principles must be perfectly aligned, for if there is no equity in education, there can be no educational excellence.”
— Dr. John H. Jackson
National Director of Education


Since its inception in 1909, the NAACP has taken a leading role in fighting to secure positive, equitable changes in educational institutions throughout the nation. The NAACP recognizes, however, that far too many of America’s most promising citizens are still prevented from pursuing their educational goals due to limited financial resources. In an effort to promote equal opportunity in education, the NAACP annually offers the Earl G. Graves, Agnes Jones Jackson, Louis Stokes, Lillian & Samuel Sutton, Roy Wilkins and Hubertus W. V. Willems scholarships.


In FY 2003, over two thousand (2,000) students requested NAACP Scholarship information. Of the students who requested information, the NAACP received two hundred twenty-eight (228) completed applications, of which sixty-two (62) were awarded. These scholarships are representative of the Association’s commitment to ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to pursue their educational goals.


Now more than ever, the NAACP stands poised to address the pertinent education issues affecting students across the nation. Through advocacy and policy development at the local, state and federal level, the NAACP will continue to “rekindle the fire” for educational excellence in communities across the nation


To request a Scholarship packet, your request must be in writing and sent to:

The United Negro College Fund
Scholarships & Grants Administration
8260 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive
Fairfax, VA 22031

ATTN: Kimberly Hall

http://www.uncf.org

(only written request)



NAACP Education

Education (National and Local)


The fundamental goal of the NAACP's education advocacy agenda is to provide all students access to quality education. The NAACP Education Department seeks to accomplish this goal through policy development, training, collaboration, negotiation, legislation, litigation, and agitation. The NAACP Education Department's resources are strategically focused on three major objectives:

  1. Preventing Racial Discrimination in Educational Programs and Services;
  2. Advancing Educational Excellence; and
  3. Promoting an Equal Opportunity Education Agenda.

The NAACP Education Department coordinates, supports, and advises, the more than, 2,200 NAACP units efforts to annually meet these objectives through a nationwide emphasis on program development, capacity building, and collaboration. Through these elements, the NAACP seeks to:

  1. Empower students, parents and local advocates to assess their local schools, school districts, universities, and state educational agencies through data collection and the production of substantive research on key educational equity issues.
  2. Empower students, parents and local advocates to assist their local schools, school districts, universities and state educational agencies through training, and collaborative technical assistance designed to prevent discrimination in educational programs and services.
  3. Empower students, parents and local advocates to advance educational excellence through programmatic support and development based on sound research, strategic planning and strong collaborative networks.

Now more than ever, the NAACP must stand poised to address the pertinent education issues affecting our children across the nation. Through a renewed emphasis on strong education advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal level, the NAACP seeks to rekindle the fire for excellence in education knowing that the success of our children depends on our organization.



Economic Empowerment Program


The NAACP's leadership is re-evaluating its basic approach to furthering the economic advancement of African Americans. With support waning for social and economic programs for the disadvantaged, a new strategy is necessary.


“The typical African American family had 60% as much income as a typical White family in 1958, but only 58% as much in 2002. Black unemployment is more than twice the rate for Whites - a greater gap than in 1972. One in nine African Americans cannot find a job. White households had an average net worth of $468,200 in 2001 - more than 6 times the $75,700 average net worth of Black households. At the slow rate that the Black-White poverty gap has been narrowing since 1968, it would take 150 years (i.e., until the year 2152) to close the gap”



Fair Share Program


In 1981, the NAACP launched the NAACP Fair Share Program to ensure the reinvestment of African American consumer dollars back into the community in the form of jobs and business opportunities. The principle objective of this approach is to promote the growth of entrepreneurship amongst African Americans, and to create employment opportunities with private sector companies.


Fair Share seeks to expand African American's relationship with corporations and to ensure that a fair share of the dollars spent by African American consumers is invested back into their communities in the form of jobs and business opportunities.


In purpose and design, the Fair Share Program seeks to achieve the following specific objectives:

  1. Establishment of minority vendor programs for purchases of goods and services, including utilization of African American contractors, professionals, and financial and insurance institutes.
  2. Establishment of aggressive affirmative action programs and opportunities for advancement of African Americans into senior management positions, including representation on corporate boards.
  3. Creation of investment and ownership opportunities for African American businesses, i.e. franchises.
  4. Promotion of philanthropic contributions to worthy African American organizations and causes.

Fair Share has both a local and national component. NAACP branches and state conferences focus their efforts on companies with local or regional markets, while the efforts of the national NAACP office are directed at firms with a national market.



Economic Reciprocity Initiative


The NAACP Economic Reciprocity Initiative (ERI) was launched in 1996 as a measuring tool of corporate America's commitment to diversity and equal opportunity. Economic Reciprocity is a NAACP initiative to use the collective economic clout of African Americans. The purpose of the project is to:

  1. Leverage the economic impact of the African American dollar on an entire industry.
  2. Develop an effective method of evaluating and grading corporate reciprocity through publication of consumer guides and report cards.
  3. Create opportunities for African Americans in five key areas: employment, vendor development, investment/franchising, advertising/marketing, and philanthropy.



Voter Empowerment Program (Local and National)


The non-partisan NAACP Voter Empowerment Program is an aggressive campaign designed to empower the African American community by increasing awareness and participation in the full political process in local, state, and federal elections.


The Program encompasses several components designed to educate and empower African Americans to vote. The nationwide program, places special emphasis on southern and southern border states.


In effort to achieve its objectives the Voter Empowerment Program provides support and expert services to state and local NAACP units to galvanize and increase voter participation in their communities.


The NAACP Voter Empowerment Program makes itself available to groups and organizations committed to educating and empowering African Americans to vote. Literature, materials and expertise are provided to NAACP units and coalition partners to ensure the development of successful voter empowerment campaigns.


This Program has formed partnerships with every major organization in the African American community including churches, sororities, fraternities, civic organizations, social clubs, civil rights organizations, labor unions, and representatives of the homeless.


The Program Director holds regular meetings with staff and consultants to evaluate and upgrade its approach to increasing voter registration and voter participation. The initiatives and projects pursue strategies, issues and activities that support the goals and objectives of the NAACP Voter Empowerment Program.


While the Voter Empowerment Program's numerous projects may each have its own distinct goal, the plan devised to incorporate, employ unique methods to register, educate and get voters to the polls on Election Day.


Voting Rights


The right to vote should be fundamental for all citizens. This right is placed in jeopardy by understaffed polls, faulty equipment, language barriers, arbitrary decisions by election officials and misguided efforts to prevent former felons from voting. These, and other "irregularities" can undermine voters' rights to participate in the voting process. Therefore, the NAACP is launching a historic voting rights and election reform campaign. We need to fight to preserve and extend the right to vote. Your actions will make the difference if we organize to keep officials accountable to our community.


The NAACP has championed voting rights since 1909. The NAACP helped develop the Dodd-Conyers “Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act” to strengthen the United States' election process by 2004. The act requires states to meet uniform and nondiscriminatory voting system and technology standards, provide provisional voting, and distribute sample ballots and voting instructions prior to the election.


As a longtime champion of voting rights, the NAACP's process for empowering millions of voters with information, legal defense and legislative advocacy centers around three core principles:

  1. Access to Voting
  2. Action Through Voting and Organizing
  3. Accountability to Voters

Registering people to vote is the first step in shaping the agenda. Informing them about issues that impact their well-being and the well-being of the community is equally important.


Voters' Rights


Protecting their right to vote is the next step.

  • To vote-without intimidation or persecution.
  • To use as much time as they need in completing the ballot.
  • To redo their ballot if they make a mistake.
  • To get help if they have questions about the ballot or the process.
  • To get help if they have language difficulties or challenges resulting from disabilities.
  • To request and receive a challenge/provisional ballot, should they be denied the right to vote.
  • To cast their ballot if they are in line before the poll closes in their precinct/ward.
  • To have a polling place or process accessible to the physically challenged.

Action Through Voting and Organizing


Only your commitment to take action can defend against voting irregularities and other threats. Together, we can make certain your rights and the rights of others are protected. The following are a list of policies and procedures that help protect voters:

  • Make certain there is a visible public education campaign to register voters and explain the voting process.
  • Ensure that voters are notified of polling place changes.
  • Make sure a complete voter file of active and inactive voters is available on site for each precinct.
  • Make certain your community has access to early voting and absentee ballots.
  • Ensure that bilingual voting instructions are available to all voters.
  • Make certain that staff and volunteer recruitment is sufficient to adequately deal with the size and traffic of the precinct.
  • Ensure that staff and volunteer training is sufficient to identify potential irregularities with materials and ballots, and overcome language barriers.
  • Help organize an NAACP Prison Branch to register incarcerated individuals who may be able to vote, and begin re-enfranchising individuals who will be able to vote after their sentence is served.

Holding Officials Accountable


Holding officials accountable for what they do about election reform is the next step to ensure voting rights. To help accomplish this, the NAACP is mounting a campaign to develop report cards on what our public officials are doing (or not doing) about election reform.

The following four-step process can help us do it.

  1. Help the NAACP gather information about the voting record and issue positions of your governor, secretary of state/election board and state legislators on election reform.
  2. Work with your NAACP Unit or Branch to discuss and publicize the records and positions of local officials.
  3. Work with your NAACP Unit or Branch to hold accountability sessions with elected officials regarding their position and record.
  4. Publish a report card of each official's votes and other actions regarding election reform.

Report Cards: Grading Local Officials


The NAACP Voter Empowerment Program will be grading Governors and State Legislatures on the following points:

  • Signing an election reform bill that provides for new voting machines in all areas of the state and emphasizes replacing older machines first.
  • Advocating support for re-enfranchising individuals who have completed sentences for felonies.
  • Increasing dollars spent on voter education efforts by 25%.
  • Increasing dollars spent on voter registration efforts by 25%.

The NAACP Voter Empowerment Program will be grading Secretaries of State and Election Commissioners on the following points:

  • Designing and implementing new voter registration and education projects.
  • Providing counties with on-site technical assistance to train poll workers.
  • Designing and implementing a program to ensure the legitimacy of removing individuals from the rolls because of felony disenfranchisement.
  • Endorsing universal, on-demand voting.
  • Allowing for a provisional ballot.
  • Enacting policies that ensure equal access to the polls for the physically disabled, non-English speakers, minorities and others.
  • Auditing registrations and balloting procedures, including absentee processes, to ensure the process is both fair and effective.

Help the NAACP fight for voter empowerment. Change the world. Read the NAACP Voter Empowerment Guide now.



Bank Of America

Financial Empowerment Initiative

A partnership with Bank of America


Bank of America has partnered with the NAACP to support economic empowerment activities since 1992. This more than decade-long partnership has taken several forms, but has always focused on working together to help minority individuals and families attain their dreams of financial independence.


Since 2001, Bank of America has supported the NAACP’s Financial Empowerment Initiative which provides outreach,education, one-on-one counseling, advocacy and referral in twelve cities around the country. Participating NAACP branches host quarterly workshops on financial planning and business development.


Mission Background


Economic empowerment is one of the most important issues facing the civil rights movement today. Building wealth and saving for the future are vital to the economic success of the minority community. Lack of financial education and access to credit and capital are major contributors to the disparities in wealth among Americans. The NAACP created the Financial Empowerment Initiative to impact wealth disparities through outreach and education in the areas of financial literacy, personal investing, small business development and homeownership.


Mission


The mission of the NAACP Financial Empowerment Initiative is to increase minority wealth by expanding access to financial services and promoting Financial Literacy, Personal Investing, Business Development and Homeownership. Financial Literacy provides the foundation to build wealth and establish full participation in the economy. Personal Investing education creates an understanding of opportunities to invest and build wealth. Business Development promotes job creation, infuses capital into communities, and builds individual assets. Homeownership is the primary means by which most Americans build assets and accumulate wealth.


How the NAACP Financial Empowerment Initiative Works


The NAACP Financial Empowerment Initiative provides outreach, education, one-on-one counseling, advocacy and referral in twelve cities around the country. Participating NAACP branches host quarterly workshops on personal investing and business development. Personal Investing workshops are taught by licensed professionals from Bank of America Investment Services, Inc. Business Development workshops are taught by experienced volunteers from SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business). Personal investing and business development workshop topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Personal Investing Business Development
  • Investing Basics Developing a Business Plan
  • Affordable Investing Options Sales & Marketing
  • Investing in Volatile Times Financing Your Business
  • Saving for your Child's Education Obtaining Federal Contracts

NAACP branches serve as a referral source for information and local programs on homeownership and financial literacy. Participating Branches: Austin, TX; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Long Beach, CA; Reno, NV; Baltimore, MD; Greensboro, NC; Memphis, TN; Richmond, VA; Dallas, TX; Jacksonville, FL; Phoenix, AZ; Washington, DC


Long Beach, CA Branch
NAACP-FEI
P.O Box 1594
Long Beach, CA 90801
(562) 494-6507
Contact: Dustin Manhart


Women in the NAACP (WIN)


Ivy Arlinda Goosby is the WIN Chair for Long Beach. The WIN committee has over 30 members, who support the national theme of “Outstretched Hands and Open Hearts to Women and Children.” The purpose of WIN is to enhance the leadership role of women, to serve as an advocacy vehicle for social, economic, political, educational, and health and welfare issues affecting women, to advocate for the positive development of children, and to support the on-going work of the NAACP on its units. The agenda includes select women issues, such as health, education, reentry into the workplace, and sponsorship of women in shelters and non-profit agencies, who cannot afford to attend the Freedom Fund Anniversary 2004. To date, 40 women have been sponsored. For additional information or to join WIN, call (562) 427-8626.