I’m not exactly sure what my expectations were when I woke up this morning. I knew that it was going to be an arduous day because we were traveling to Houston and Galveston to assess damage and assist our units impacted by the hurricane. What’s interesting is that as we were traveling to Houston, there were electronic signs on the highway telling drivers not to go to Houston or Beaumont, Texas. In hindsight, this was ironic because when we finally made it to Houston to visit local shelters in the Black community it seems as though “aid” was told not to enter these areas as well.

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While most kids were home playing Nintendo, 14-year old Benjamin Todd Jealous and his friends were out commanding card tables and conducting voter registration drives. After registering thousands of new voters, Jealous realized the power of community organizing. Now, twenty–one years later, he is combining his organizing skills — honed as a youth by the NAACP — with emerging technologies to transform the organization that he now leads. As the youngest President in the NAACP’s nearly 100-year history, and a fifth-generation NAACP member, Jealous starts his tenure doing what he does best. Getting people involved.  “As an organization, our goal is to make the promise of this country real for all families,” said Jealous, “and this starts with making all Americans regular voters. (more…)

“Its Katrina all over again”…

When I received word last night that I was to fly to Texas in the morning to assist NAACP units with hurricane relief efforts I honestly questioned my reason for going. According to reports and images on television, the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike wasn’t nearly as bad as what was seen after Hurricane Katrina. This time there were no pictures of crying babies in need of formula. No stories of mass “looting” by people in search of food and supplies. No video of government helicopters flying past citizens screaming for help on the tops of submerged houses.

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