Greater Springfield NAACP annual banquet focuses on voter rights, need to increase minimum wage

By Suzanne McLaughlin, The Republican
on May 18, 2013

tswan ruth lovingAGAWAM – About 400 people attended the annual membership banquet of the Greater Springfield chapter of the NAACP Thursday night at Chez Josef.

The Rev. Talbert W. Swan II said that since he was elected president of the NAACP in June, 2011, the membership has increased.

“We have revitalized the brand,” he said. “We are alive and well.”

Speakers at the annual dinner focused on threats to voter rights and the need to make the minimum wage “a living wage.”

“Voters in Massachusetts are fortunate,” Swan said. He said there are efforts in other parts of the country to require photo identification to vote.


Read more...

The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


Rev. Talbert Swan Interviews with Jim Madigan of WGBY

Watch Connecting Point 1/21/2013 on PBS. See more from Connecting Point.


Read more...

NAACP Working to Protect Churches Following 2012 Election

Concern comes after 2008 church arson

Published : Tuesday, 25 Sep 2012, 10:14 AM EDT

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The President of the Springfield NAACP believes America’s racial climate is worse than it was four years ago, and he’s Springfield’s African-American Churches to protect themselves on election night.

Rev. Talbert Swan wrote to each local African American church pastor, to alert them to the possibility of election night vandalism.

Bishop Bryant Robinson’s nearly-finished Macedonia Church of God in Christ was burned to the ground the night Barack Obama was elected president four years ago.


Read more...

NAACP President Reaches Out to Casino Operators

WFSB Channel 3

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WSHM) – The Springfield branch of the NAACP is calling for operators vying to place a casino in the city to provide fair participation of all aspects of casino employment for residents of color. The branch reached out to all four casino operators interested in Springfield and scheduled meetings with two of them. The first meeting was held Thursday with MGM Resorts. “Our communities are hurting and we want to make sure that any type of investment to the tune of [$800 million] to $900 million that is going to produce the level of opportunity that this will that those communities have an opportunity to fairly participate,” said Springfield NAACP President Rev. Talbert Swan.


Read more...

The Black Church & HIV: Social Justice Imperative

Throughout our history, the NAACP has fought to combat policies and practices that undermine human rights and social justice. HIV is now one of these important issues for our community. Black people are more likely to become infected, less likely to know they have the disease and more likely to die from HIV/AIDS than any other race. Visit http://www.theblackchurchandhiv.org to learn what you can do in your faith community.


Read more...

THANK YOU!

Thank you for your support of the2012 Annual Membership Banquet. We had a great time, heard a great speaker in John J. Johnson, and were inspired to remain vigilant in the struggle for freedom, justice and equality! The theme of this year’s banquet was “Your Power, Your Decision, VOTE! We encourage you to ensure that you are registered and that you not allow anything to keep you from voting your conscious in this year’s fall election. Many of our predecessors struggled, suffered and even died to ensure that we would have the right to vote. We cannot allow the tactics of a vocal, well-financed few to set back the clock on the gains made by others. Exercise your power, VOTE!

A special thanks goes out to Sophia Jeffery, Banquet Committee Chair, and the entire Banquet Planning Committee. We would also like to thank all of our sponsors with a special recognition to our major Gold Sponsor, Baystate Health and Bronze Sponsors, American International College and Massachusetts Mutual Financial Group.


Read more...

NAACP to Sponsor Black History Month Lecture Series at Spring of Hope Church

The second annual “Lift Every Voice” free lecture series in celebration of Black History Month will be held Tuesday during the month of February at 6:30 p.m. at the Spring of Hope Church, 35 Alden Street, Springfield. The series is presented by COGIC Family Services, the church and the Springfield branch of the NAACP.


Read more...