Speech given at the Membership Luncheon

As my grandmother can tell you, I’ve never been that great at talking about my accomplishments. Hearing Bill mention the things I’ve managed to do in what realistically is such a short period of time lets me further know that this town has something different about this town. I’ve always mentioned that “Montclair has no shortage of talent.” This afternoon, all around this museum you can see that.

Speech given at the Membership Luncheon

As my grandmother can tell you, I’ve never been that great at talking about my accomplishments. Hearing Bill mention the things I’ve managed to do in what realistically is such a short period of time lets me further know that this town has something different about this town. I’ve always mentioned that “Montclair has no shortage of talent.” This afternoon, all around this museum you can see that.

This year we revived the ACT-SO program, and I am proud to say that Montclair made a showing at the state competition. We sent 7 kids, and came home with 3 medals. Kahlil Simmons, a 16 year old from our town came home with a bronze for poetry. Sara Meretab, a junior at Montclair High, came home with a silver for Original Essay and Gold for Mathematics. I would like to thank you all for the support you’ve given them and the generosity of the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence and Montclair African-American Clergy Association for their significant donations to the program.

This year has been a year of awakening. The Montclair NAACP has been growing by this sense of awakening, wanting to do more, and be more involved. The Education Committee has actively been a part of the conversations on the budget cuts, teaching aids and more importantly the education of our children, the Economic Development Committee has in the works an financial management seminar and I’m sure the Membership Committee has plans to win another “Membership Lay-Down Award” for most new memberships in the state for a third time.

This year I encourage you all to become an active part of the Montclair NAACP. Find a committee you are interested in, and reach out to the chair of that committee. If you’re interested in the politics of the town, county, state or government – Political action is the committee for you. If you’re interested in education, securing a quality education for your kids or looking into the school voucher or charter school proposals – the Education committee is for you. Whatever your passion is, there are 19 committees waiting for you.

So, this year, today, by being here this afternoon, you are a member of the Montclair NAACP, all rights and privileges granted to you. This is no long just the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; this is Your NAACP, My NAACP, and Our NAACP. And as members, I charge you now, to do two things:

1. Find a committee that interest you, and get involved. You’ve all gone too far at this point, you’re already members. Be an active member and supportive member of the largest and oldest, the baddest and the boldest, the most loved and most hated, the most feared and revered, the most cussed and discussed civil rights organization in America; and
2. Recruit somebody. This organization is a membership organization. Without members, there is no NAACP to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of all people. So like those ChildFund International commercials put it, for less than 9 cents a day you can be a member of the NAACP.