The Norwich branch of the NAACP has brought home two prestigious awards from the association's 101st national conference last week.
The branch was honored with the Thalheimer Award, the organization's highest honor for outstanding achievement by individual branches and units. It is the third time Norwich has won the award in its division in the last four years.
Individually, Derell Wilson, former president of the Norwich branch's Robertsine Duncan Youth Council, received the Gloster B. Current Award for youth leadership.
Jacqueline Owens, president of the Norwich branch, said the award was a tribute to the membership's dedication to numerous initiatives, from community programs on education, drug awareness and gangs to functions related to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 100th anniversary last year.
“I'm very happy,” Owens said. “My branch works very hard.”
Scot X. Esdaile, president of the NAACP in Connecticut, was beaming Tuesday, particularly given Norwich's relatively small membership of less than 250 people.
Excellent record
By Duaa Eldeib Tribune staff reporter
1:14 p.m. CST , March 5, 2010
The entire senior class at Chicago's only public all-male, all-African-American high school has been accepted to four-year colleges. At last count, the 107 seniors had earned spots at 72 schools across the nation.
Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman surprised students at an all-school assembly at Urban Prep Academy for Young Men in Englewood this morning to congratulate them. It's the first graduating class at Urban Prep since it opened its doors in 2006. read more click here **************************
Speedskater Shani Davis earns fourth Olympic medal
VANCOUVER - FEB. 21, 2010 Adding another Olympic Silver Medal to his career Olympic total, Shani Davis celebrated the end of ... read more » ********************
NAACP elects youngest board leader By Krissah Thompson Sunday, February 21, 2010
The NAACP selected health-care administrator Roslyn M. Brock as its chairman on Saturday, marking the culmination of a generational shift for the historic civil rights organization . For the first time in the NAACP's history, both its president and chairman are too young to have personally experienced legalized segregation.
Brock, 44, takes the helm from civil rights pioneer Julian Bond. She will guide the association along with Benjamin Jealous, who, at 37, is the youngest president in the NAACP's history read more click here **************************
NAACP President Benjamin T. Jealous , National Urban League President Marc H. Morial , and Al Sharpton made the trek to draw the president's attention to the significant impact the "Great Recession" has had on African Americans and on urban communities. read more click here
Washington Post article: Obama, black leaders focus on economic hard times read more click here **************************lu information. click here
Subject: Gov. Rell: Census Forums Being Held Across the State
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that census informational forums will be held across the state in the coming days to encourage greater involvement by organizations and towns for census outreach. The forums will allow cities and towns to share best practices about their outreach initiatives. Regional census information sessions have been set up for the following dates and times:
January 26 th , Hartford , Legislative Office Building Room 2 E at 2 p.m.
January 27 th , Waterbury , 10 a.m. , Room 116 of the Chase Building
January 28 th , Bridgeport , 11 a.m. , City Hall Annex, 2 nd floor
January 29 th , New Haven , 2 p.m. , City Hall, 2 nd floor
February 2 nd , Montville , 11 a.m. , Council Chambers
Finch dumps city health director By Keila Torres, STAFF WRITER
BRIDGEPORT -- Mayor Bill Finch will not reappoint city Health Director Marian Evans , whose term had expired in 2008, to a second four-year term.
In announcing Evans' "immediate" departure in a Friday statement, Finch said he plans to appoint an interim director in her place until a new health director is hired. The new director will be hired following a public search for candidates, he said. read more click here
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Jashon Bryant's family wept openly in court and bolted from the courtroom last Tuesday after the verdict was read, freeing Officer Robert Lawlor
The Connecticut branch of the NAACP is urging the U.S. Justice Department to review the actions of a former Hartford police officer who was acquitted by an all-White jury last week of shooting to death an 18-year-old Black man. read more click here *******************************
Ex-POW in Iraq war recalls nightmares, depression
By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 3, 9:34 am ET WASHINGTON –
Shoshana Johnson survived gunshot wounds to both legs and 22 days as a prisoner of war in Iraq . Life wasn't so easy when she came home, either. In a new book out this week, the 37-year-old single mother describes mental health problems related to her captivity and tells how it felt to play second fiddle in the media to fellow POW Jessica Lynch , who was captured in the same ambush. read more click here **************************
R&B singer Pendergrass dead in Pa. at 59 AP, Jan 14, 2010 9:08 am PST R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass , who was one of the most electric and successful figures in music until a car crash 28 years ago left him in a wheelchair, has died of colon cancer. He was 59. Pendergrass died Wednesday in suburban Philadelphia, where he had been hospitalized for months. read more click here
************************************* Reid apologizes for 'no Negro dialect' comment
By PHILIP ELLIOT, Associated Press Writer Philip Elliot
WASHINGTON – The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate apologized on Saturday for comments he made about Barack Obama 's race during the 2008 presidential bid and are quoted in a yet-to-be-released book about the campaign.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada described in private then- Sen. Barack Obama as "light skinned" and "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Obama is the nation's first African-American president. read more click here **************************
Initiative to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities Adopted by Connecticut Hospital Association Board of Trustees
Wallingford, CT – In pursuit of the goal of eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes, the Connecticut Hospital Association Board of Trustees at its April 20 meeting endorsed an initiative to work with the Connecticut Chapter of the NAACP and other interested parties on a shared agenda. . read more click here **************************
March 2009
Please read letter from Rich Graziano the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Fox Affiliate in the State of Connecticut.
Ken Reels NAACP Lifetime Member of Norwich NAACP Swearing in Ceremony as the New Vice Chairman of the Gaming Commission Foxwoods Resort & Casino ..see Photo Gallery **************************
NAACP Urges Congress to Act Quickly to Reform Current Broken Health Care System THE ISSUE: Too many Americans today are straining under the burden of two related trends: shrinking health care coverage and rising health care costs. Over the last decade, millions of Americans have found themselves uninsured, and millions more have become underinsured as the value of their coverage has declined. In the years 2008 – 2010, it is estimated that approximately 6,000 people a day, or almost 7 million Americans total, will lose their health insurance. read more click here
Barrier-breaking jazz star Lena Horne dies at 92read more click here
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Dorothy Height: 1912-2010
Washington (CNN) -- Dorothy Height, a leading civil rights pioneer of the 1960s, died Tuesday, April 20, 2010, at age 98, Howard University Hospital confirmed.
Height died at 3:41 a.m., said hospital spokesman Ron Harris. No cause of death was given.
Height, who had been chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, worked in the 1960s alongside civil rights pioneers, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. , future U.S. Rep. John Lewis and A. Philip Randolph. She was on the platform when King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington. read more click here ...view Dorothy Height life in pictures click here
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Benjamin L. Hooks:January 31, 1925 – April 15, 2010
Benjamin Hooks, the civil rights leader, NAACP Pioneer, lawyer, judge and Baptist preacher died April 15, 2010 at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis.
Dr. Hooks was 85 and had long suffered from various illnesses, but as recently as last fall he was delivering a lecture to a House Judiciary Committee at the Capitol that he reprised for an event at the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis. read more click here
America 's High Tech " Invisible Man "
By Tyrone D. Taborn
You may not have heard of Dr. Mark Dean. And you aren't alone. But almost everything in your life has been affected by his work.
See, Dr. Mark Dean is a PhD. from Stanford University .. He is in the National Hall of Inventors. He has more than 30 patents pending. He is a vice president with IBM. Oh, yeah. And he is also the architect of the modern-day personal computer. Dr. Dean holds three of the original nine patents on the computer that all PCs are based upon. read more click here
African American Astronauts Seek to Add New Chapter to Black History
Chris Simkins | Washington 02 February 2010 Astronaut Bobby Satcher
February is Black History Month in the United States and Canada, a national observance that pays tribute to people and events that shaped the history of African-Americans and Canadians. It's also a time to educate people about the accomplishments of black people and their contributions to society. Last November, two African American astronauts soared into space while reaching new heights in the U.S. Space program. read more click here African American History Month Has Its Own History, Future **************************
Longtime Bridgeport NAACP member takes over its helm
Updated: 11/23/2009 12:53:08 AM EST About 10 days ago, Carolyn Vermont, The first vice president of the Greater Bridgeport chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, got a phone call from the civil rights organization's state president, Scot X. Esdaile. Esdaile asked Vermont, a Bridgeport resident, if she would take on the chapter's top job, vacated when Craig Kelly decided to resign as president to spend more time with his grown children and new grandchild.
Vermont accepted the challenge, and will complete Kelly's term, which ends next November. Although she's not sure if she will be a candidate for the group's presidency when the term ends -- she admits she never aspired to be president -- Vermont is determined to do right by the organization she has belonged to since the 1970s. read more click here
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Acclaimed Director, Writer and Actor Tyler Perry Donates One Million Dollars to NAACP
Gift is the Largest Received from an Individual in the NAACP 's History Washington, DC (November 23, 2009) - The NAACP, the country's oldest and largest civil rights organization , announced today that acclaimed film director Tyler Perry has donated one million dollars, marking the largest gift ever given by an individual. In addition, Perry purchased several NAACP commissioned Jacob Lawrence lithographs and additional lithographs by celebrated artists Jonathan Green , Elizabeth Catlett and Sam Gilliam .
The gift, which will be distributed over the next four years, was made to commemorate the organization's Centennial anniversary. “We are honored that Tyler Perry chose to support the NAACP,” said Julian Bond , Chairman of the NAACP. “Tyler is a courageous pioneer in bringing positive images of African American culture and struggles to the screen. His remarkable journey from poverty and childhood abuse to become one of the world's most successful filmmakers and entrepreneurs is an inspiration to us all,” Bond said. read more click here ************************** .
Study points to poor health care for blacks By Pamela McLoughlin, Register Staff NEW HAVEN — A groundbreaking national study prompted by the Connecticut NAACP shows that African Americans are hospitalized at younger ages than whites for preventable medical conditions.
The study found that black adults were hospitalized an average of nine years earlier than whites for all health conditions combined.
The study, which will appear in the January edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, could become an important piece in the fight for health care reform, advocates say. read more click here **************************
Bridgeport Superintendent Honored With National Recognition Dr. John J. Ramos, Sr. Chosen To Receive the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the Consulate of Israel The Consulate of Israel in New York announced yesterday that Dr. John J. Ramos, Sr., Ed. D., Superintendent of the Bridgeport Public Schools, will receive the 2010 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award in recognition of his outstanding work and dedication, honoring the life and legacy of the slain civil rights leader's dream of peaceful coexistence between people of diverse religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Superintendent Dr. John J. Ramos says he is honored to receive this recognition. “I humbly accept this award on behalf of the entire Bridgeport Public Schools learning community and the great City of Bridgeport because it is together that we are EXPECTING and pursuing GREAT THINGS! This award is not only for me but, for everyone working on behalf of our scholars and those who truly believe in making Dr. King's dream a reality. I am overwhelmed by the Counsel General and State of Israel 's recognition and will be forever grateful.” read more click here
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“Senator Lieberman'sstaff heard our concerns, but were unable to assure us that the Senator would support the full Senate moving to an ‘up-or-down' vote once the debate on health care reform ended,” stated Scot X. Esdaile, President of the Connecticut NAACP State Conference read more click here (HARTFORD, CT) A Connecticut delegation of civil rights groups met with Senator Joseph Lieberman's staff yesterday to urge the Senator to support comprehensive health care reform and to discuss his intentions for Connecticut residents. Specifically, the delegation asked the Senator to support key provisions in H.R. 3950, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , which was introduced late yesterday afternoon.
“Senator Lieberman's staff heard our concerns, but were unable to assure us that the Senator would support the full Senate moving to an ‘up-or-down' vote once the debate on health care reform ended,” read more click here *************************** ********************
The President Holds an Open Discussion Across the Aisle Posted by Jesse Lee on Janua 29, 2010 at 05:58 PM EST
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Free health care clinic *********************
Annual Martin Luther King Jr. March Martin Luther King, Jr.
( January 15, 1929-April 3,1968)
Prominent African-American civil rights Leader click here
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Martin Luther King,
"Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam"
Dorothy Height: 1912-2010
Benjamin L. Hooks: January 31, 1925 – April 15, 2010 
chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, got a phone call from the civil rights organization's state president, Scot X. Esdaile. Esdaile asked Vermont, a Bridgeport resident, if she would take on the chapter's top job, vacated when Craig Kelly decided to resign as president to spend more time with his grown children and new grandchild.
staff yesterday to urge the Senator to support comprehensive health care reform and to discuss his intentions for Connecticut residents. Specifically, the delegation asked the Senator to support key provisions in H.R. 3950, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , which was introduced late yesterday afternoon.