All good things come to an end.

Although, today is suppose to be our last day at our internships I am returning on Monday to meet with my boss and present my binder on the American Jobs Act. My binder will join the many pictured below.

Doing research on the American Jobs Act I found out the following:

·      According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate is at a critical high of 9%.

·      According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, African Americans experience unemployment at an alarming rate of 16.7%.

·      African American males face an unemployment rate of 17.5%.

·      The unemployment rate for African American teens is an alarming 46%. (BLS)

·      Men face unemployment at a rate of 18 percent higher than women. (BLS)

·      1.4 million African Americans have been work for more than six months. (American Jobs Act)

·      The American Jobs Act would extend unemployment insurance to benefit 1.4 million African Americans and their families. (AJA)

·      In a effort to put people back to work, President Obama will invest $50 million to enhance employment and job training opportunities for minorities and women, minorities, and the socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in the fields of transportation, construction, contract administration, inspection, and security. (AJA)

·      The President would invest $25 million in school infrastructure modernization, which would be targeted at the lowest-income school districts. (AJA)

·      The President would also modernize community colleges. (AJA)

·      The President proposed investing $35 billion to prevent the layoffs of teachers, cops, and fire fighters who contribute to obtaining education and provide safety.

·      The President would start a “Bridge to Work” program, which would allow those receiving unemployment the ability to still obtain unemployment insurance while doing temporary work, voluntary work or pursuing work based training. (AJA)

·      The American Jobs Act would call for proposal prohibiting employers from unlawfully discrimination against the unemployment or making standards to high that it is unattainable for an individual out of employment for a long time. (AJA)

·      The American Jobs Act would provide low-income adults and youth with year- round jobs and summers jobs. (AJA)

·      The American Jobs Act would cut payroll tax, which would benefit 18.5 million African American workers. (AJA)

It was a very eye opening project. I am upset that it will not reach the people as Congress has broke it down in many act that it appears it will get lost on the floor. However, I loved my experience. I loved working with the NAACPConnect team and with everyone at my office. They became a family to me. Mr. Jealous, the CEO and President of the NAACP told me that I could come back and work whenever  I'd like and he also offered me a connect in Atlanta, GA when I return to my homeschool of Atlanta,Georgia. My internship was all I could imagine and more.

Looking at legislation with Mr. Hilary Shelton, President of the NAACP Washington Bureau.

Taking a chance at a photo opt with Mr. Ben Jealous, President and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on one of his visits to the Washington Bureau office. 

Voting Rights.

The NAACP is also lobbying against stricter voting rights laws. On November 14th, I recieved the chance to go with my boss Hilary O. Shelton and our policy analyst Brandon Johns to Capitol Hill to a hearing before the Judicary Committee. BET (Black Entertainment Television) did a write up on the hearing and you can view it here: Lawmakers and Activists Pledge to Fight Stricter Voting Rights Laws

Here's pictures I took and video explaining the NAACP's position:

Brandon listening attentively.

Representative John Conyers (D-MD)

Working with NAACP Connect.

Also at my internship, I worked with the NAACP Connect, The Youth & College Divison. The Youth & College Division serves as the premier institution for young people to develop the skills they need to meet various challenges that face African Americans and other youth of color. NAACP youth units across the country engage in social justice activism, addressing issues at the local, state and national level, with a primary focus on education, economic development, health, juvenile justice and voter empowerment.

According to its mission statement, the division aims to inform youth of the problems affecting African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities, to advance the status of the African American community, to stimulate appreciation of the African Diaspora and other people of color’s contribution to society, and to develop intelligent and militant youth leadership. Recently, the Youth and College Division started the NAACP Connect. NAACPConnect is the social networking hub bringing together the NAACP Act-So and Youth & College Communities.  The NAACP Connect uses Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube to connect with college students and get them engaged in the many fights for social change.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet the two heading NAACP Connect and letting me share office space with them.

Name: Courtney Rose Harris

Where are you from? Colorado Springs, Colorado

Educational Background: Colorado College with the B.A in History and Political Science (Double Major) and a  minor in African Cultural Studies. Master's from University of Alabama in Education

Reason for working at NAACP:  Was in local chapter of NAACP, great connection to youth and was a former youth leader in state

Title and duties: NAACP Connect Project Specialist

Greatest accomplishment in life:Writing Senior Thesis and spending 4 months in Chinatown discussing housing disparities.
Greatest accomplishment at work: The launch of the NAACP Connect site
Words of wisdom: "Stay hopeful and never limit one's self, ever."

Name: Larry Brown Jr. 

Where are you from? Detroit, Michigan

Educational Background: Howard University B.A in Broadcast Journalism

Reason for working at NAACP: Active in NAACP chapter as youth, the responsibility and reward. 

Title and duties: NAACP Connect Specialist

Greatest accomplishment in life: Being engaged, getting married in November
Greatest accomplishment at work: Too Much Doubt Campaign
Words of wisdom: "Be courageous, bold and always yourself."

Follow the NAACP Connect:

Twitter;  @NAACPConnect 

Facebook: NAACP Connect

It's a family environment...

(From left to right: Joseph Reed and Brandon Johns)

 My buddy Ben!

 Where I spend all my time compiling my binder...

Hello, there Mr. Shelton!

Joseph poses for the picture.

So does Cutis... this is his thinking man. 

Troy Davis: Too Much Doubt Campaign

In my first week at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, I became involved in the Troy Davis: Too Much Doubt Campaign. Troy Davis was a African American male convicted of and executed for the August 19, 1989, murder of police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia. Troy Davis in his 22 years on death row recieved three stays of execution. On July 16, 2007, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles granted a ninety-day stay of execution in order to allow the evaluation of evidence presented, including the doubts about Davis's guilt. In July 2008, a last minute emergency stay, issued by the Supreme Court less than two hours before Davis was scheduled to be put to death, halted the execution and a third one on October 21, 2008. The issue in Mr. Davis's case was that since being put on death row seven of the nine witnesses that testified that it was Troy Davis who murdered Officer MacPhail recanted their stories and stated they were coerced into testimony by law enforcement officers.  Also, there was no DNA evidence linking Mr. Davis to the murder. Despite the many groups that advocated on the behalf of Mr. Davis such as the Innocence Project, Amnesty International and the NAACP, Mr.Davis was executed after the United States Supreme Court denied him another stay. 11:08pm, September 21st, 2011 became a time I will remember forever. I cried endlessly for at least two weeks as I thought about what I felt was the wrongful execution of an innocent man. I cried because I knew that the NAACP had fought hard for a halt to the execution. I cried because Mr. Davis is cited as maintaining innocence all the way to his death. His last statement was the following: 

"Well, first of all I'd like to address the MacPhail family. I'd like to let you all know, despite the situation -- I know all of you are still convinced that I'm the person that killed your father, your son and your brother, but I am innocent. The incident that happened that night was not my fault. I did not have a gun that night. I did not shoot your family member. But I am so sorry for your loss. I really am -- sincerely. All I can ask is that each of you look deeper into this case, so that you really will finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends that you all continue to pray, that you all continue to forgive. Continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, may God have mercy on all of your souls. God bless you all."  - Huffington Post (October 7, 2011). Troy Davis' Last Words Released by Georgia Department of Corrections (AUDIORetrieved October 18, 2011.

Here are some video clips and pictures of the Troy Davis case and the fight that the NAACP took on.

First Day.

Today was my first day at the NAACP. I met with the president at the Washington Bureau, Hilary O. Shelton. We talked about the NAACP Washington Bureau and its role within the NAACP at a whole.  I found out the NAACP is a government assistance agency. It has a 64 member Board of Directors, many of which are volunteers. They meet 4 times a year and elected in district elections in 38 State Conferences. In order to advocate for an issue, the NAACP meets and all resolutions from different states are looked at by a resolution committee over a period of two weeks. I also found out there are seven youth members on the board.


Additionally, in talking with Mr. Shelton I narrowed down the focus of my project. I wanted to do the American Jobs Act as both of my parents are currently unemployed. I wanted to research the intentions of the American Jobs Act. I was informed that my binde would have to include:

• A copy of each bill (President, Senate, and House)
• A summary of each bill.
• Side by side comparison of all issues in each bill.
• State by State grid of unemployment broken own into various demographics such as: age, gender, race and ethnicity, and education.
• Articles in opposition, support and opinion of the Jobs Act.

I could tell this was going to be a strenuous project but, I was prepared to tackle it. 

The Interview with NAACP.

Today I met with Adam Lee, who supervises the interns at the NAACP Washington Bureau. He told me when  I walked trough the door that he ha already received a letter of recommendation for me which struck me as curious because I had advised him that I would bring all hard copies of my recommendation letters in tow. However, the Congresswoman of DC, Eleanor Holmes Norton had sent him a copy of my recommendation letter in the mail. He was very impressed. In the interview we discussed why I would like to intern with the NAACP outside my cover letter that I had already prepared. I shared with him that I felt that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People epitomized what I wanted to do. It helps minorities that have disproportionately disadvantaged sine the founding of the United States gain and equally exercise their constitutional rights. I also felt that the internship would help me  intertwined the mission and goals of both my home school, Spelman College and the Washington Semester Program at American University. In the Washington Semester Program, we will discuss incarceration and the issues within the judicial system. The NAACP especially the Washington Bureau advocate against the injustice of the judicial system. In reference to my home school, working with the NAACP would allow me to answer the charge of Spelman College which is to become a free-thinking woman and making a choice to change the world. The NAACP would give int the fight for civil rights of people of my same racial and ethnic background.

Mr. Lee told  me that while at the NAACP, I would also be required to do a project. I would work as a legislative assistance and compile binder on a subject of my choice. The issue had to be one that the NAACP has historically advocated for and issues that are current legislation. He gave me the weekend to choose a topic. And I left, accepting my offer to intern at the NAACP.