is the pastor of the Spring of Hope Church Of God In Christ, Assistant General Secretary for the National Church Of God In Christ, National Chaplain of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Executive Director of COGIC Family Services, an author, radio talk show host and long-time community activist. Pastor Swan has been at the forefront of civil rights issues throughout the region and the nation for over two decades. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Western New England College, an Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies from Charter Oak State College, a Master of Arts in Theology from Hartford Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and Graduate Certificates from Hartford Seminary and Harvard Divinity School.  Rev. Swan’s life’s work has been committed to the mission of ensuring the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and eliminating race-based discrimination.

Ida Flynn became actively involved in the NAACP in 1976 when a friend asked her to help in his campaign for President. She decided to run for the Executive Committee, and was elected.  In 1980, her friend decided not to run again.  Ida was urged to run and she was elected President. She served in that role for ten years and has been active ever since, currently serving as Co-Chair of the Membership Committee. During her tenure as President, Ida and the Board instituted many initiatives. She was a fierce advocate for social justice and a strong voice for communities of color. Ida continues her work through her church and in the community.

Pastor Mark Baymon is the founder and Senior Pastor of Deliverance Center Ministries, a church designed to meet the needs of the total person regardless of race color or creed. Pastor Baymon has been the architect of partnerships,  serve the Springfield community, surrounding areas and the world through outreach ministries and various services. He has a heart for the well being of the community and endeavors to ensure that much needed services such as, but not limited to, daycare, after school programs, summer camps, homeless nutrition programs and young men and women mentoring programs are available to those in need.

 

 

and was on the Board of Directors, Neighborhood Housing Services of America (a national secondary market organization)

Neel Abdul Hameed T’Tanya Pitt

Carolyn Roberson

Rev. Samuel Saylor

  These standing committees are the life blood of the organizations.  We need you to choose the committee that best suits your goals, energy, and ability.  Then roll up your sleeves, volunteer, and jump right in to help our community. Community Coordination Committee   

1. Enlist the support of other community organizations on issues affecting the interest of African Americans and other communities of color.
2. Develop a Community Organizations Directory with the branch leadership support.
3. Avail yourself to the Public Relations Committee Chair for the local press: newspaper, radio, television and other media.
4. Provide news or publicity stories to the Branch PR Chair and President to keep the public informed of current programs and issues.

Freedom Fund Committee – Yvette Lewis & Joe Robinson co-chairpersons

1. Plan and conduct the Annual Freedom Fund Dinner (fund raising activities, entertainment and other projects), for local and national purposes within the scope of the Association’s program.
2. Work closely with Finance Committee (Treasurer and President).
3. Avail yourself to the Public Relations Committee Chair for the local press and on radio, television and media.
4. Provide news or publicity stories to the Branch PR Chair and President to keep the public informed.

Economic Development Committee  The Committee on Economic Development shall implement local efforts and support national programs to preserve and expand economic empowerment among African Americans and communities of color by:

1. Researching and establishing relationships with private and public entities.
2. Supporting the work of the National office in monitoring the progress and activity of private and public entities designated by national programs.
3. Implementing local efforts to promote the growth of business ownership.
4. Increasing employment and job creation.
5. Encouraging business development and home ownership.
6. Avail yourself to the Public Relations Committee Chair for the local press: newspaper, radio, television and other media.
7. Provide news or publicity stories to the Branch PR Chair and President to keep the public informed of current programs and issues.

 Afro-academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) The Committee on ACT-SO shall follow these rules:

1. Must be properly registered annually with the National Office and follow all directives outlined by the National ACT- SO Program
2. Understand that it is a major project of the NAACP. With ACT-SO, the NAACP is providing an instrument through which African-American youth are encouraged and inspired toward excellence in academic and cultural pursuits while benefiting from the maximum support of their communities
3. Uphold its goal of ACT-SO that affords the same respect for African-American Scholastic and cultural achievement that is given to heroes
4. Recognizing that ACT-SO conducts annual academic competitions for students in grades nine (9) through twelve (12) in NAACP Branches throughout the country in accordance with the published guidelines of the National Office and oversight of the National Director of ACT-SO Program.

Membership and Life Membership – Ida Flynn/Leslie Smith The Membership Committee shall:

1. Work throughout the year to maintain and increase the membership of the Association
2. Be responsible for planning and organizing the annual membership campaign
3. Be responsible on a continuous basis for soliciting new members and for securing renewals
4. Initiate all possible means to obtain Life Members and sponsor a continuing program towards this end.

  Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs The Committee on Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs shall:

1. Seek to establish a working relationship with those agencies in government, national, state and local, having the responsibility in the affairs of members of the various Armed Services and Veterans and to see that the programs to which they are responsible are administered fairly and justly to members of the minority community
2. Study conditions pertaining to veterans and members of the Military Service and their dependents and/or survivors in the community
3. Serve as a center of information on matters affecting the members of the Active Military, Reserves, State National Guard and Veterans
4. Maintain a repository of materials, information and forms to be used in assisting veterans and/or dependents of veterans and military personnel with their problems
5. Receive and act on all complaints relative to acts of discrimination on account of race, color, creed, or denial of benefits to which they are entitled because of discrimination
6. Prepare a quarterly report on committee activities to be submitted to the Executive Committee of the Unit and the National Director of Armed Services and Veterans Affairs.

Education Committee – T’Tanya Piott Chairperson

1. Seek to eliminate segregation and the discriminatory practices in public education.
2. Study local education conditions affecting minority groups.
3. Investigate the public school system and school zoning.
4. Familiarize itself with textbooks material there from which is racially derogatory.
5. Seek to stimulate school attendance.
6. Keep informed of school conditions and strive to correct abuses where found.
7. Investigate the effects of standardized and high stakes testing practices.
8. Teacher certification.
9. Promote parental involvement in education.
10. Aim to be a center of popular education on the race question and on the work of the Association.
11. Roundtable with Commissioner of Education (former Commissioner)

Young Adult The Committee on Young Adult shall consist of Branch members twenty-one (21) – forty (40) years of age. It shall be the function of the Committee to:

1. Support all branch activities
2. Stimulate interest through advocacy training and solicit membership of twenty-one (21) – forty (40) years of age
3. Create a mentorship program (Branch to Young Adults and Young Adults to Youth Units) to serve as a support bridge from Youth and College to Branch participation
4. Provide networking and social opportunities for young adults in the local community
5. Encourage the participation of young adults in all activities and leadership within the Branch.

Housing  The Committee on Housing shall:

1. Study housing conditions in the local community
2. Receive and seek to address complaints of discrimination
3. Oppose all restrictive practices whether public or private
4. Disseminate information and render such other assistance which may eliminate discrimination in housing.

Health Committee

1. Work to promote, protect and maintain the health of African Americans
2. Assess the health needs of the community
3. Advocate for equal access to health education, care, treatment and research for all Americans
4. Sponsor health-related activities such as health forums, fairs and workshops highlighting issues of importance to people of color (i.e., Obesity, AIDS, Primary Care,…)
5. Support health initiatives of the Association

Religious Affairs Committee  The committee shall consist of ministerial and lay religious leaders including those in the branch. The duties are as follow:

1. Promote an educational program designed to give moral and ethical interpretation of civil rights struggle.
2. Interpret the work of the NAACP to organize religious groups of all faiths.
3. Enlist the support of religious groups for memberships, fundraising, and the struggle for equality and full civil rights.
4. Provide resource assistance for religious education and social action activities, associated with the improvement of r

WIN [Women In the NAACP] Committee The committee shall address civil rights issues affecting women and children and other civil and cultural activities to enhance membership and provide financial support to the Branch. The duties are as follow:

1. To enhance the leadership role of women.
2. To serve as an advocacy to address the social economic, political, education, health and welfare issues affecting women.
3. To advocate for the emotional, mental, physical and
   spiritual development of children.
4. To support the policies as well as the on-going mission and vision of the NAACP.

Political Action Committee The Political Action Committee works to ensure voter empowerment through providing awareness, training, and programmatic support to ensure registration, education, administration, and election protection.  The NAACP has developed a nonpartisan voter empowerment program  designed to empower African American and people of color by increasing awareness and participation in the electoral process.  The Political Action Committee will support the NAACP’s mission to ensure political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination, through implementing the following initiatives:       A series of voter education forums addressing specific issues     Issue focused political action notifications through social media usage     Get Out The Vote (GOTV), voter registration and poll transportation     Partnering with local and national civic organizations to address pertinent issues     Informing the electorate of candidate views, to hold elected officials accountable.  Marketing & Media Committee 

1. Seek to promote media content consistent with fundamental NAACP goals which include the elimination of racial isolation and fear and the furtherance of multiracial and cultural understanding.
2. Work to eliminate employment segregation and discrimination in those industries [comprising the communications arts and sciences] (radio, telephone, television, motion pictures, newspaper, books, related computer communications, business, cable television).
3. Seek to ensure Black minority ownership and control of print and electronic media — both hardware and software.
4. Monitor local and national media, especially advertising performance.
5. Provide the National office with research and data on those local businesses engaged in communication arts and sciences.
6. See to ensure that all people have a meaningful right to choose from and have access to a variety of high quality telecommunications goods and services at a reasonable cost.
7. Endeavor to secure publicity for the work of the Unit and the association in the local press and on radio, television and media.
8. Attempt to interest persons in charge of local news media on conditions affecting minority groups.
9. Seek to counteract derogatory and erroneous statements in local news media about Blacks and other minority groups.
10. Be responsible for forwarding to THE CRISIS items covering Unit activities and important affairs.
11. Act as far as possible as an agency for the promotion and sale of   THE CRISIS.
12. No publicity shall be released without first being approved by the President of the Unit.

Legal Redress – Rev. Maurice Powe, Esq Chairperson The Legal Redress Committee shall:

1. Investigate all cases reported to it
2. Supervise all litigation in which the unit is interested
3. Keep the National Office and the Branch informed on the progress of every case. It shall not give general legal advice.

  Criminal Justice The Committee on Criminal Justice shall:

1. Seek to eliminate harsh and unfair sentencing practices that are responsible for mass incarceration and racial disparities in the prison system
2. Support and seek to increase trust and public safety by advancing effective law enforcement practices
3. Fight for the restoration of the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people and the removal of barriers to employment
4. Elevate the voices of crime victim survivors in order to identify and advance systemic breakdowns existing in the criminal justice system that perpetuate crime
5. Resolve to end the war on drugs for its disproportionate collateral consequences harm communities of color
6. Seek the institution and availability of alternatives to incarceration including education, employment, and mental health services
7. Eliminate zero tolerance policies implemented in our schools which are keeping kids out of the classroom and putting them on a path from the schoolhouse to the jailhouse
8. Investigate programs implemented in our local law enforcement agencies which derail from their main purpose of a safety and order to conduct the work of federal agencies for which they do not have the capacity
9. Seek budget modifications in states where incarceration receives more funding than education.

Juvenile Justice 

1. Seek to eliminate discriminatory practices in the Juvenile and Adult Justice systems.
2. Research and monitor local and state incarceration, sentencing, arrests and probation rates of African Americans and other youth of color.
3. Investigate disproportionate incarceration and sentencing of African Americans and other youth of color.
4. Investigate living conditions and treatment within youth detention centers.
5. Mobilize unit(s) to correct abuses where found.
6. Avail yourself to the Public Relations Committee Chair for the local press and on radio, television and media.
7. Provide news or publicity stories to the Branch PR Chair and President to keep the public informed.

Prison Branch   The Prison Branch Support Committee shall support the work of the Prison Branch in accordance with Article VIII. Section 6 (1-11) by

1. Working closely and directly with the members of their respective Prison Branch and the Regional Prison Coordinator
2. Maintain contacts with, and report regularly to the Regional Coordinators
3. Build, cultivate and maintain positive relationships between prison officials, Prison Branch members and members within the local Branch
4. Solicit community organizations and business to establish a volunteer bank (teachers, writers, poets, businessmen, ministers, lawyers, policemen, judges, government officials, politicians and media personnel) to assist the Prison Branch in carrying out its programs.

Labor & Industry Committee   SEEK WAYS TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF MINORITY GROUPS BY:

1. Working to eliminate discriminatory employment practices in industry and government, wage differentials based on race, unequal opportunities for training, promotion and unfair dismissals.
2. Encourage a greater participation in the trade union movement.
3. Working to end discriminatory practices in labor unions.
4. Securing the enactment of state and federal fair employment practices legislation.
5. Working for improved opportunities in vocational and apprenticeship training.

Communication / Press & Publicity Committee  

1. Seek to promote media content consistent with fundamental NAACP goals which include the elimination of racial isolation and fear and the furtherance of multiracial and cultural understanding.
2. Work to eliminate employment segregation and discrimination in those industries [comprising the communications arts and sciences] (radio, telephone, television, motion pictures, newspaper, books, related computer communications, business, cable television).
3. Seek to ensure Black minority ownership and control of print and electronic media — both hardware and software.
4. Monitor local and national media, especially advertising performance.
5. Provide the National office with research and data on those local businesses engaged in communication arts and sciences.
6. See to ensure that all people have a meaningful right to choose from and have access to a variety of high quality telecommunications goods and services at a reasonable cost.
7. Endeavor to secure publicity for the work of the Unit and the association in the local press and on radio, television and media.
8. Attempt to interest persons in charge of local news media on conditions affecting minority groups.
9. Seek to counteract derogatory and erroneous statements in local news media about Blacks and other minority groups.
10. Be responsible for forwarding to THE CRISIS items covering Unit activities and important affairs.
11. Act as far as possible as an agency for the promotion and sale of   THE CRISIS.
12. No publicity shall be released without first being approved by the President of the Unit.

Each committee establishes its meeting schedule based on the availability of its members. If you are interested in joining a committee, please email the respective committee chair(s) above or call the Springfield Branch at 414.650.6154 for more information.