A helping hand after leaving jail: NAACP program helps former inmates re-adjust in society

by Ellis Smith/Times-Georgian

Four years ago the Carroll County NAACP conceived a program that would help parolees live a successful life outside of prison. With hundreds of success stories on record, the little-known program is now ready to unveil itself to the community.

On Saturday, the first annual “Another Chance” gala at the University of West Georgia Campus Center Ballroom will feature fine dining, a silent auction, and the stories of rehabilitated inmates. Proceeds will benefit the Carroll County NAACP Re-Entry Services program. The service is not for profit and works in conjunction with local businesses, Carroll County, the city of Carrollton and other local stakeholders. (more…)

Whitten Inn protest draws regional support

Originally published in Santa Fe NAACP

By Matthew van Buren

A protest outside the Whitten Inn Saturday (Nov. 14) drew supporters from as far away as Las Cruces and San Antonio.

About 60 demonstrators gathered along Paseo del Pueblo Sur on an overcast Saturday morning and marched to the inn, picking up several bystanders along the way. The hotel has been a subject of regular protests since August, when former employees began to picket the former Paragon Inn, which Larry Whitten took over July 31. Some said they believe Whitten terminated several employees because they were Hispanic, which Whitten has denied.

Protesters have focused on controversial policies of Whitten’s – he told employees not to speak Spanish in his presence and told several to change their names. Martín was to go by “Martin” while at work, and Marcos was to be called “Mark.” (more…)

Gov. Bill Richardson  signed legislation to officially ban bias-based profiling in New Mexico. Advocates and organizations who supported the legislation were in attendance at a public signing at the governor’s office in Santa Fe.  Activist members of the Otero County, New Mexico NAACP lobbied for passage in Santa Fe  and testified in committee hearings.

HB 428, the Prohibition of Profiling Practices Act, sponsored by Rep. Nathan Cote, D-Las Cruces, passed the Senate floor by 32-10 in the final hour of the legislative session. The bill previously passed the House floor 62-0 after an hour of impassioned debate from members. (more…)

Michael Kimmel argues that it is in men’s interest to work for gender equality.

© New Internationalist

Over the past three generations, women’s lives have been utterly and completely transformed – in politics, the military, the workplace, professions and education. But during that time, the ideology of masculinity has remained relatively intact. The notions we have about what it means to be a man remain locked in a pattern set decades ago, when the world looked very different. The single greatest obstacle to women’s equality today remains the behaviour and attitudes of men.

In the mid-1970s, an American psychologist offered what he called the four basic rules of masculinity:

1 No Sissy Stuff. Masculinity is based on the relentless repudiation of the feminine.

2 Be a Big Wheel. Masculinity is measured by the size of your paycheck, and marked by wealth, power and status. As a US bumper sticker put it: ‘He who has the most toys when he dies, wins.’ (more…)

February 4-8
Come to the Alamogordo Public Library and celebrate Black History Month. The Otero County NAACP and the Democratic Party of Otero County present “Eyes on the Prize” the award winning PBS documentary of the civil rights struggles of the 20th Century.  Monday through Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. and Friday from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. at the Alamogordo Public Library Multi-Purpose room.  Learn about Black History. The public is welcome and entrance is free.

“I Have a Dream” is Dr. King’s best known and most often recited speech. “Beyond Vietnam” is generally ignored by speakers and the corporate media. We could replace the word “Vietnam” with “Iraq” and his speech would today be as pertinent as it was in 1967.

Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence

By Rev. Martin Luther King
4 April 1967

Speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City

I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice. I join with you in this meeting because I am in deepest agreement with the aims and work of the organization which has brought us together: Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam. The recent statement of your executive committee are the sentiments of my own heart and I found myself in full accord when I read its opening lines: “A time comes when silence is betrayal.” That time has come for us in relation to Vietnam.

The truth of these words is beyond doubt but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government’s policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one’s own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover when the issues at hand seem as perplexed as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on. (more…)