Resolution #1
EDUCATING LOST YOUTH: “GRADUATION, NOT INCARCERATION”
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, the NAACP has officially embraced the cause of educating our youth in the United States while actively campaigning for legislative reform in criminal justice policy to reduce incarceration; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP has reported the connection between high incarceration rates and poorly performing schools and that over-incarceration most impacts vulnerable, often minority populations, destabilizing communities and contributing to the high percentage of high school dropouts in the United States: and
WHEREAS, the NAACP understands that a national mobilization of individuals and organizations from all sectors—including labor, business, political, religious, community, civil right and others—is necessary to demonstrate to Congress and the President that there is widespread support in the United States for addressing the needs of lost and incarcerated youth and for the recognition of the contribution of lost and incarcerated youth to the quality of social, cultural, political and economic life in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP knows there are programs across the country finding young people who have dropped out of high school, re-engaging them in controlling their future and achieving an 85% graduation rate; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP believes that a collaborative effort with dropout recovery programs are a powerful vehicle for identifying and educating lost and incarcerated youth.
THERFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the NAACP will encourage its units to actively explore collaborative efforts with drop-out recovery programs that are achieving high rates of graduation.
THERFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that units have an opportunity in conjunction with the state, upon approval to develop youth academic programs in their local units that will lead to high school graduation.
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the State NAACP offer a revenue sharing program with local participating units.
Resolution #1-A
UNIT REVENUE SHARING
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS: It has been determined that education of our youth is a priority of California, and
WHEREAS: The California Hawaii State Conference supports local units in its advocacy efforts:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: The California Hawaii State Conference will share revenue on a 60-40 split with each Branch when a project is launched. Sixty percent (60%) or $180,000 will be directed to the Branch for each year that the unit succeeds in achieving its recruitment targets and meet all other obligations to the State. The California Hawaii State Conference will receive forty percent (40%) or $120,000 annually from each project launched and maintained and will provide support to the unit as required.
Resolution #2
JOIN THE FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE CALIFORNIA HAWAII NAACP
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, the California Hawaii State NAACP, by constitution is the California parent to all of its units; and
WHEREAS, the state president for many years has sought avenues for independent funding sources to build independence and capacity; and
WHEREAS, it is becoming more difficult to obtain sufficient guaranteed funding from our corporate donors; and
WHEREAS, most corporate donors understand that the NAACP may not be able to stand with them on some issues; and
WHEREAS, reliance upon corporate donors becomes difficult when conflicts arise that the NAACP believes may not be in the best interest of its members; and
WHEREAS, in these bad economic times, most of the NAACP units rely on the same donors to fund all of us; and
WHEREAS, funds strictly for capacity building are difficult to obtain; and
WHEREAS, when all parties agree, and agree to work at it a small donor program is very effective; and
WHEREAS, the state knows the difficulty that many units have in raising enough revenue to fully support and professionalize the organization; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California Hawaii state NAACP and all of its units adopt a small donor program to raise funds for capacity building; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that units wishing to participate sign an agreement with the state and provide evidence to the state of the donors they sign up; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that for participation in the revenue sharing that each unit must sign up a minimum specific number annually; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the funds be accounted for and placed in a separate account and when it reaches $50,000 annually that we enter into a distribution formula of 50 -50 to qualifying units and the state for use by each entity for capacity building; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLEVED that upon passage of this resolution, the state appoints a task force to set forth the rules, reporting and accounting, to place before the unit presidents at the Annual Retreat in Jan 2012.
Resolution #3
END THE DEATH PENALTY IN CALIFORNIA
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, from the days of slavery, through years of lynching and Jim Crow laws, and even today capital punishment has always been deeply affected by race; and
WHEREAS, African Americans make up only 13% of the overall population, 42% of the people currently on death row are black, and 35% of those who have been executed in the United States are African American; and
WHEREAS, African Americans are over-represented in the number of people on death row who are later found to be innocent: Over 130 people have been freed from death row since 1973 due to evidence of their innocence; and
WHEREAS, 38% of death row inmates who were ultimately freed because of new evidence were African Americans, and 35% of those executed later found to be innocent were black; and
WHEREAS, the death penalty undermines trust and integrity in the criminal justice system because it is racially biased, inhumane and risks the lives of innocent people; and
WHEREAS, currently, 34 states and the federal government use the death penalty while 16 states have outlawed the practice; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP has historically opposed government’s institution of Capital Punishment and worked diligently for over 40 years to end lynching; and
WHEREAS, the death penalty does not appear to be a deterrent against major crimes: 84% of former and present presidents of the country's top academic criminological societies rejected the notion that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder; and
WHEREAS, Consistent with previous years, regionally, the South has the highest murder rate, despite having over 80% of the country’s executions. The Northeast, which has less than 1% of all executions, has consistently had the lowest murder rate; and
WHEREAS, implementation of the death penalty is extremely expensive to American taxpayers. In California, the death penalty system costs taxpayers $114 million per year beyond the costs of keeping convicts locked up for life. Taxpayers have paid more than $250 million for each of the state’s executions; and
WHEREAS, in Kansas, the costs of capital cases are 70% more expensive than comparable non-capital cases, including the costs of incarceration; and
WHEREAS, In Indiana, the total costs of the death penalty exceed the complete costs of life without parole sentences by about 38%, assuming that 20% of death sentences are overturned and reduced to life; and
WHEREAS, the most comprehensive study in the country found that the death penalty costs North Carolina $2.16 million per execution over the costs of sentencing murderers to life imprisonment. The majority of those costs occur at the trial level; and
WHEREAS, enforcing the death penalty costs Florida $51 million a year above what it would cost to punish all first-degree murderers with life in prison without parole; and
WHEREAS, In Texas, a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years; and
WHEREAS, many NAACP units on their own have attempted to stop unjust government killing as was in Missouri 2007, twice in California, Florida, Georgia, Texas and many other states; and
WHEREAS, the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia on September 21, 2011 to many of us was a blatant misuse of government power at the state and federal level, and humiliating and insulting to our race in that there was reasonable doubt and massive support pointing to his innocence; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the NAACP increase awareness and general support of our values, it is wrong to take another person’s life regardless of the entity doing it including government; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a plan be developed, visible campaigns be operated throughout this country to oppose and eliminate death penalties in all its forms; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the California Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP increases its advocacy for ending the death penalty in California.
Resolution #4
ISSUING THE CALL
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, African Americans once again find themselves on the last rung of the ladder in every classification of human development and economic well being; and
WHEREAS, through the process of integration and assimilation into main stream America, we lost the African American infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, we now have a more dispersed religious structure coupled with a large segment of the population who are not regular church goers; and
WHEREAS, African American Entrepreneurship lags far behind other races in America, contributing to the highest unemployment rate in our community because we cannot employ our own; and
WHEREAS, we are at the bottom scholarly because we do not educate our own; and
WHEREAS, we have no national financial institutions to finance our own businesses; and
WHEREAS, African American dollars rarely turnover more than once in our community as opposed to 5 or 6 times in other communities; and
WHEREAS, we now have significant individual wealth as well as collective wealth through our religious institutions; and
WHEREAS, we now have more educated African Americans in this country than ever before; and
WHEREAS, the conditions of African Americans today are similar to the times in 1907when W.E.B. Du Bois called the community together, leading to the formation of the NAACP, and these conditions have reached crisis level for African Americans; and
WHEREAS, Richard Hatcher called the community together in Gary Indiana to respond to the crisis at that time; and
WHEREAS, there is a drastic decline and withdrawal from the powers to be to provide redress to the Africans who built America through centuries of slavery; and
WHEREAS, demographics today are pushing the needs of African Americans to the back of the bus; and
WHEREAS, our survival has always stemmed from the resources within and we are unbeatable when we stand together in self determination.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the call go across this country for Africans in America to come together, find common ground and generate a new self determination for our community, through shared social and economic programs that are generated from within our own resources by using the expertise and talent within our community; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that an agenda be set for specific economic, education and business goals be developed as a framework for decisions for those who answer the call; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the call be made by a team of respected leaders like Bill Cosby, Halle Berry, Michael Jordan, Eddie Murphy, Whoopie Goldberg, Danny Glover, Roslyn Brock, Ben Jealous, Mark Morial, Russell Simmons, Francis Berry, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, distinguished national clergy, distinguished labor leaders, distinguished African American scholars, African American bankers and investors, elected leaders and other important segments of the community; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that a strategic group be formed to plan the call and that the group target December 2012, in the proper setting to convene the meeting for those who respond to the call and declare “we are not going back”..
Resolution #5
EMPLOYMENT FOR EX-OFFENDERS: RENEWING AND RESTORING
OUR HUMAN ASSETS:
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, the NAACP is concerned about the Employment for Ex-Offenders and restoring our Human Assets; and
WHEREAS, over 600,000 people are now being released from prisons each year. Many suffer from a variety of serious difficulties as they attempt to reenter society. Among the most challenging situations they face is that of reentry into the labor market. Low employment rates are closely related to California’s 70% recidivism rate for those released from prison.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the State conference appoint a committee to examine the issues surrounding the juvenile injustice/criminal injustice systems, including, but not limited to:
- The disproportionate arrest and confinement of Black and Latino communities.
- Harsh/extreme sentencing.
- Mandatory minimums.
- Use of gang suppression laws to increase arrests for non-criminal acts, displace people and support gentrification.
- Impact of zero tolerance and police and probation officers in schools toward the building of a school to jail track.
- Increases in police violence.
- The transfer of youth into adult courts.
- The need for a movement to seriously address the widespread violence in our homes, schools and communities, without relying on the failed efforts to “arrest our way out of the problem.”
- The intersections between systems of suppression (police and prisons), immigration and foster care.
Resolution #6
CIVIL RIGHTS EDUCATION
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, it is the intent of the California Hawaii State NAACP to do all of the following:
(a) Teach California’s school children about the important role of the Civil Rights Movement in the lives of African Americans and all other Americans; and(b) Foster among students an understanding of the complexity of racial, social, economic and political challenges faced throughout American history, by all Americans, and provide them with tools and exercises for illustrating, practicing, appreciating and positively advancing the evolution of civil rights; and
(c) Cause students to go beyond studying the Civil Rights Movement from afar, but rather to connect it to their own lives, engage in honest dialogue with each other and foster a positive climate for human relations; and
(d) Apply advanced scholarship and relatively recent trends in academic studies of civil rights movement history to effective teaching methods; and
(e) Formalize California's role in the struggle for civil rights, and teach about that role as a beacon of hope for all Californians; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California State NAACP continue its efforts to pass legislation that establishes the inclusion of the history of the Civil Rights Movement into K-12 education.
Resolution #7
THE CALIFORNIA HAWAII STATE CONFERENCE SUPPORTS A COMPREHENSIVE JOB CREATION PROGRAM
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, unemployment rates nation-wide are critically high: In August, 2011, the official national unemployment rate was reported at over 9%. Among African Americans, the rate is much higher, at 16.7%. For African American males the rate is 17.5%, and it’s nearly 41% for African American males between the ages of 18 and 24. 1.4 million African Americans have been out of work for more than 6 months; and
WHEREAS, to quote President Obama, “inaction is not an option”; and
WHEREAS, on September 9, 2011, President Barack Obama unveiled his “American Jobs Act”, which is an aggressive plan to put Americans, and the American economy back to work; and
WHEREAS, the American Jobs Act will expand opportunities for the long-term unemployed to reenter the workforce, provide incentives for businesses to hire and make investments in revitalizing schools, infrastructure and neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the American Jobs Act also extends unemployment insurance to benefit the long-term unemployed and their families through 2012; and
WHEREAS, the American Jobs Act supports summer / year-round jobs for youth; and
WHEREAS, the tax cuts portion of the American Jobs Act will benefit over 100,000 African American small businesses and will help African American owned small businesses access capital; and
WHEREAS, the American Jobs Act would also invest $15 billion in a national effort to put construction workers on the job rehabilitating and refurbishing hundreds of thousands of vacant and foreclosed homes and businesses; and
WHEREAS, the American Jobs Act would invest $25 billion in school infrastructure to modernize at least 35,000 public schools, with the funds targeted at the lowest income communities; and
WHEREAS, the American Jobs Act also invests $35 billion to prevent layoffs of up to 280,000 public school teachers, while hiring tens of thousands more teachers and keeping first responders, such as cops and firefighters on the job; and
WHEREAS, the American Jobs Act targets the long-term unemployed by proposing a tax credit of up to $4,000 to employers for hiring workers who have been looking for a job for more than 6 months and specifically prohibits employers from discriminating against unemployed workers, which has been a priority for the NAACP.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the California Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP strongly supports the American Jobs Act as an aggressive plan to address the dire need for a comprehensive job creation and economic development in our country today; and
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the State Conference will use all resources available to it, including political advocacy, direct action and media attention, to promote the swift enactment of the American Jobs Act; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the State Conference recognizes the need for all NAACP units to be diligent about monitoring where every job is created as a result of any legislation that is enacted to ensure that racial and ethnic minorities receive a fair share of the new jobs.
Resolution #8
CANDIDATE INTERVIEW & QUESTIONNAIRE
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, The California Hawaii NAACP has developed a local political empowerment program to link local units with the state conference to enhance its legislative program; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP does not endorse candidates; and
WHEREAS, an assessment is needed to determine a candidates commitment to the State and National civil rights agenda, before members of the NAACP throw their individual support to a candidate; and
WHEREAS, interviews carried out in January with candidates seeking election or reelection will allow the state to develop and publish the results in the Minority News and distribute it widely in the community; and
WHEREAS, unit president’s and political action chairs have already received a one day training on policies and techniques for interviewing; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the month of January be dedicated to local interviews, using the questionnaire attached for review and approval returned to the State Conference by January 31st ; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the questionnaire be developed and sent to units in February for their use; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that upon available funding that the NAACP approves the inclusion of the NAACP questionnaire in the Minority News; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that all members and local leaders discourage support for anyone who scores 70% or lower in the interview.
Resolution #8-A
INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
These are the Issues that we will adopt for President's and Political Action Chairs to use when interviewing candidates for State Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization. Please review, send in advance or amend on the floor of the business meeting.
We recommend that you form an interview team and invite the candidate to your meeting. It can be lunch, dinner or breakfast, if you are willing to treat. It can be in your office, but please no more than five members on the team. You may also offer to go to the person's office. Please do the interviews in November and December while the incumbents are out of session. You will send the responses to the state office by January 15th so that we can get the results back to you by February 1, 2012.
While the results will be informational, we ask that you do not give your personal endorsement to a candidate that is not committed to our civil rights agenda.
We will have 10 questions scored at 10 points each, for a total score of 100. They will have to select Yes or NO. There will be space for explanation but the scoring will be based on the yes or no...Yes 10 points. No 0 points.
EDUCATION
Do you believe education is a civil right and that government is the responsible entity that should provide a quality equal education to all?
Do you support school alternatives that will undermine public education like the vouchers, tuition tax credits, and funding private charter schools with public funds?
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Will you support the repeal of California’s three strike law?
Will you support closing the sentencing gap between crack cocaine and powder cocaine?
HEALTH
Will you support and advocate for full implementation of the President’s health program?
JOBS
Will you support the creation of a state stimulus jobs program similar to the President’s?
DEALTH PENALTY
Given the number of innocent prisoners released from prison through the Innocence Project, will you support repealing California’s death penalty?
UNIONISM
Do you believe workers have a right to organize and strike? If yes, will you oppose any effort to weaken the movement?
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
Do you support the funding of the clinics that are in our communities? If yes, will you advocate for adequate public funding?
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
There are lawsuits and initiatives to overturn various aspects of Proposition 209. Do you support these efforts?
Resolution #9
FREE SECOND LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION & COURSES
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, numerous entities, including but not limited to public schools and community colleges provide classes to non/limited-English speaking populations free of charge, and
WHEREAS, foreign language instruction classes are only available to English speaking populations by course offerings, which require tuition or a fee; and
WHEREAS, most employers now want, or at least prefer, bilingual candidates; and
WHEREAS, most modern-day immigrant populations come to America already speaking two or more languages; and
WHEREAS, the African American is further disenfranchised by overwhelmingly speaking only one language, it would help to level the playing field by assisting African Americans to become more competitive in the job market, and
WHEREAS, it would assist African Americans to be able to better communicate with other ethnic communities and cultures by understanding their languages, leveling the playing field and bridging the gap that has resulted in cross-cultural conflicts; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that any public education entity providing free classes to non/limited-English speakers to learn English, also be required to provide free foreign language instruction classes to populations who only speak English.
Resolution #10
GOVERNOR PETER HARDEMAN BURNETT
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, California’s 1st elected Governor, Peter Hardeman Burnett (in office, from December 20, 1849 to January 9, 1851), held openly racist attitudes towards Blacks, Chinese, and Native Americans; and
WHEREAS, Burnett was also an open advocate of exterminating local California Indian tribes, a policy that continued with successive state governmental administrations for several decades, where the state offered US$25 to US$50 for evidence of dead Natives; and
WHEREAS, Burnett's period in the Oregon Provisional Legislature helped facilitate the exclusion of Blacks from the state until 1926; and
WHEREAS, while in the Legislature, and later in the Provisional Supreme Court, Burnett proposed and openly advocated one of Oregon's first exclusion laws, barring African-Americans from moving to the territory. Blacks that did remain were to be arrested and flogged every six months until they did leave; and
WHEREAS, the Burnett measure successfully passed, with similar exclusion laws adopted by the Legislature over the next several decades. Oregon's Black exclusion laws would remain in effect until 1926 when referendums removed the clause from the Oregon Constitution; and
WHEREAS, after becoming elected California Governor, Burnett was quoted as follows during his December 20, 1849 Inaugural Address: “[Regarding the exclusion of Blacks], we have certainly the right to prevent any class of population from settling in our State, that we may deem injurious to our society;” and
WHEREAS, the name of Peter Hardeman Burnett is attached to an untold number of California’s public schools, streets, parks and other locations; and
WHEREAS, the racist legacy of Peter Hardeman Burnett is not worthy of the honor of having cherished public places named after himself; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California Hawaii State NAACP introduce legislation that would require the renaming of publicly held places that are named after Peter Hardeman Burnett.
Resolution #11
ENDING RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AT SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, the Santa Monica Community College District (SMCCD or the District) has a pattern of purposefully discriminatory practices against African Americans in hiring, retention, and promotion; and
WHEREAS, the senior administration of SMCCD has been approached by African American managers, faculty and staff who shared their concerns about discriminatory practices on campus to no avail ;as the result of meeting in 2009 with concerned African American faculty and staff, the SMCCD Superintendent/President Dr. Chui Tsang promised an increase of African American administrators; and
WHEREAS, since the time of Dr. Tsang’s pledge to hire African American administrators, four African American administrators/managers were forced to resign or forced into retirement because of the District’s discriminatory practices, and were replaced by non-African Americans except in one instance; an academic management position was created for the legal counsel’s spouse (a non-African American), and in a meeting agreed on by the District with the NAACP the District’s Human Resource VP (African American female) was unable to justify the above position; and
WHEREAS, the community has voiced concern about the inequitable hiring practices by the SMCCD Personnel Commission; and
WHEREAS, the community voiced these same concerns as African American faculty, staff and managers to Dr. Tsang, and whereas the community asked for a report from the college to provide a forensic audit of all administrative and management positions, and such report was not provided; and
WHEREAS, the EEOC found that there was reasonable cause that the charging party (White female) was retaliated against for opposing unlawful discrimination against 3 coaches (African American Males) by Dept. Chairperson (White female), and the college has refused to provide redress and relief to address the discrimination issue after the EEOC found the District in violation of Title VII retaliation statutes, the District currently is in receipt of another discriminatory complaint by a Full-time faculty member (African American male) against the same Dept. Chair regarding discrimination; and
WHEREAS, after several complaints from both African Americans and non-African Americans regarding the campus’s publication’s demeaning of Tommie Smith (a 25-year, African American faculty member and 1968 Olympian Gold Medalist), the Administration failed to address concerns of institutionalized racism; and
WHEREAS, discriminatory behavior towards African American employees (managers, faculty and classified staff) necessarily has an adverse impact on African American students as evidenced by African American students’ complaints to staff and the relative lack of their academic success at Santa Monica College when compared to other student groups; and
WHEREAS, the Superintendent/President behaved in a discriminatory manner toward an African American woman by requesting her to come to his office to meet an African American visitor, not for any professional or work-related matter; and
WHEREAS, the community has voiced concern about the discriminatory increased frequency of traffic stops of people of color by the SMCCD campus police in neighborhoods surrounding the college; and
WHEREAS, over the past two and a half years many persons—including members of the local community, faculty, classified employees, managers (African American)—have voiced concern about the practices by SMCCD senior administration and Department of Human Resources of a consistent pattern of discriminatory disrespect toward African American professionals and a lack of transparency in the value with which SMCCD assignments in its management classifications are weighted; and
WHEREAS, after these concerns were summarized in letters sent by the NAACP state representatives for Santa Monica, Venice and the greater Los Angeles region to the attention of the College District with some letters sent by individuals directly to the SMCCD Board of Trustees with no resolve by the District other than retaliation, the SMCCD Trustees and Superintendent/President are culpable of purposefully discriminatory practices against African Americans and the Board has failed in its responsibilities of oversight and compliance as elected officials and trustees of the public good.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the 2011 NAACP California State Conference urges and requests that the US Departments of Education and Civil Rights, the State of California Department of Education, The California Community Colleges’ Chancellor’s Office, and the City of Santa Monica Council review and investigate the policies and more importantly, the discriminatory practices of the Santa Monica Community College District to ensure the enforcement of transparency and standards to mitigate discriminatory practices and to ensure an equitable use of taxpayers’ dollars that is fair to all; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees of the Santa Monica Community College District be held accountable to the public for the actions of its chief executive and administrative officers who injure African Americans with unlawful discriminatory acts as well as any other groups that are impacted by similar discriminatory behavior.
Resolution #12
CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES FULL TIME FACULTY
Sponsored By: Santa Monica Venice Branch
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, California Community Colleges, throughout 72 districts, hires 65% White full-time faculty; and
WHEREAS, California Community Colleges, throughout 72 districts, hires 35% people of color as full-time faculty; and
WHEREAS, it is the mission of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and districts to promote equity in the hiring standards and processes for all employees; and
WHEREAS, it is the mission of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and districts to ensure transparency in the hiring processes for all positions; and
WHEREAS, full-time faculty are often hired from the district’s part-time pool which uses no process to ensure equal employment opportunity rules and regulations are followed, and therefore lacks representative diversity in comparison to the student population; and
WHEREAS, African Americans and other people of color are underrepresented statewide in the ranks of part-time and full-time faculty; and
WHEREAS, in the California Community Colleges white students make up 33% of the student population and 67 % are students of color the current hiring practices historically have been unable to correct this hiring inequity; and
WHEREAS, a diverse teaching and learning environment promotes cultural understanding and student success; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Chancellor’s Office establish a communication link to the State NAACP to support the Community College Districts establishment of clearly defined standards and practices for hiring full-time faculty that greatly improves the representation of African Americans and other people of color in the full-time tenure-track ranks. Current practices must be changed in order to hire full-time faculty that is more reflective of the student population.
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the NAACP requests that the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges establish and monitor standards and hiring practices for full-time faculty in all disciplines for all community college districts, and that those standards and practices are made public and transparent to ensure fairness and equity in the hiring process.
Resolution #13
CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES PART TIME FACULTY
Sponsored By: Santa Monica Venice Branch
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, California Community Colleges, throughout 72 districts, hires 67% White part-time faculty; and
WHEREAS, California Community Colleges, throughout 72 districts, hires only 33% people of color as part-time faculty; and
WHEREAS, California Community Colleges, throughout 72 districts, hires 65% White full-time faculty; and
WHEREAS, California Community Colleges, throughout, 72 districts, hires only 35% people of color as full-time faculty; and
WHEREAS, it is the mission of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and districts to promote equity in the hiring standards and processes for all employees; and
WHEREAS, it is the mission of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and districts to ensure transparency in the hiring processes for all positions; and
WHEREAS, hiring of part-time faculty is handled mostly by department chairs without a committee process; and
WHEREAS, there is no process to ensure equal employment opportunity rules and regulations are followed in the hiring of part-time faculty; and
WHEREAS, African Americans and other people of color are underrepresented statewide in the ranks of part-time and full-time faculty; and
WHEREAS, in the California Community Colleges white students make up 33% of the student population and 67 % are students of color the current hiring practices historically have been unable to correct this hiring inequity; and
WHEREAS a diverse teaching and learning environment promotes cultural understanding and student success; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Chancellor’s Office establish a communication link to the State NAACP to support the Community College Districts establishment of clearly defined standards and practices for hiring part-time faculty; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the NAACP requests that the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges establish and monitor standards and hiring practices for part-time faculty in all disciplines for all community college districts, and that those standards and practices are made public and transparent to ensure fairness and equity in the hiring process.
Resolution #14
RESOLUTION TO FIGHT RACISM IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
FOR CALIFORNIA STATE NAACP 2011
Sponsored By: Santa Monica Venice Branch
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is committed to the eradication of racism; and
WHEREAS, the California Unified School Districts are mandated by law and institutional policy to enforce and prevent racism on campuses; and
WHEREAS, the recent hate incident at Santa Monica High School involving an African American male being chained to his locker and having to endure racial slurs by his fellow students, and a wrestling dummy hung in effigy which was defined as a hate crime; and
WHEREAS, it took over five (5) weeks for the District’s administration to address this issue with the parent of the victim; and
WHEREAS, the parent was notified after five weeks not by the District but by a fellow parent, and only then did the District respond; and
WHEREAS, the faculty in an effort to control the incident, attempted to delete the evidence of what we viewed as a hate crime; and
WHEREAS, the local branch and the parent of the victim met with the Superintendent of the District and the request was made for a police investigation and a public notice to the Santa Monica High School student body regarding the racial incident; and
WHEREAS, since the meeting with the Superintendent, the investigation of the students’ involvement in the racial incident has been launched by the local Police Department and the investigation of the staff involvement in the racial incident has been launched by the Sheriff’s Department; and
WHEREAS, this incident has created a public outcry by the community, community leaders, clergy, students, and parents demanding the Board of Education address this issue and re-establish the Intercultural Advisory Committee to address racism, cultural pluralism as advocated by the U.S. Department of Justice, and curriculum development to address the systemic issues of racism in the District; and
WHEREAS, this community outcry inspired the Church N Ocean Park Santa Monica took up the mantle of looking of looking at white privilege and unearned privilege of white American in their community with a desire to look at white complicity of institutionalized racism impact on African Americans and Latinos. This should set as a blue print to the district to examine how perceived white privilege has an adverse on African Americans and Latino students in the district learning environment compounded by the suspension data on students of color in the district; and
WHEREAS, the local branch was contacted by the U.S. Department of Justice, and from that meeting the U.S. Department of Justice has held meetings with the Unified School District, parents/PTSA, and local community and church organizations regarding this incident; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that at the 24th Annual NAACP California State Conference endorse the District’s commitment to re-establishing the Intercultural Advisory Committee, or a like entity, to give guidance in how to address and prevent institutionalized racism within its school communities, and promote the development of inclusive curriculum and cultural sensitivity to create a healthy environment for academic rigor; and acknowledge the District’s work with the U.S. Department of Justice in an effort to find a resolution and strategies for staff development; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the NAACP requests the District’s Board of Education members to develop the resources necessary to establish and maintain standards for all their students to be able to achieve academic excellence in a safe environment, and to create standards of practice so that all faculty, staff and administrative persons correctly protect the interests and rights of both their students and parents.
Resolution #15
RESOLUTION TO MAKE EDUCATION A PRIORITY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, African American students are below district averages in attendance, graduation rates, UC “A-G” completion, CST Proficient and Advanced Scores, CAHSEE Proficiency Status, SAT participation, AP participation and qualification rates; and
WHEREAS, African American and African students exceed district averages in suspensions, expulsions and drop-outs; and
WHEREAS, the funding for education for low-income and minority students varies across the state but yet is inequitable for what is necessary for a quality education; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the education of African American students is a priority,
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the NAACP CA/HI State Conference demands that the education of African American students become the number one priority.
Resolution #16
RESOLUTION FOR NAACP HEALTH ADVOCACY
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, 29.2% of African American girls were obese—the highest prevalence of any age group by gender, race or ethnicity; and
WHEREAS, in the state California 30% or more of children aged 10–17 years are overweight or obese; and
WHEREAS 1 in 16 African American males and 1 in 30 African American females will be infected with HIV/AIDS in the United States; and
WHEREAS, there is a 2.5 to 1 ratio of Black males and 9.0 to 1 ratio of Black females to their White counterparts that are living with HIV/AIDS in the state of California; and
WHEREAS, 8 million African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented among the uninsured and underinsured; and
WHEREAS, California also has the largest total number of people without insurance — 6.8 million — of any U.S. state; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that California State Conference units will engage in health advocacy promoting the NAACP national health priorities including Childhood Obesity, HIV/AIDS and full implementation of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that California units will educate their communities on health disparities (including HIV/AIDS and childhood obesity), advocate for equal access to healthcare, and hold state government offices accountable to fiscally support minority health and disease specific offices responsible for the care of communities of color; and
Resolution #17
RESOLUTION FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Sponsored By: Finance Workshop of State Convention
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, the African American community has the highest rate of unemployed citizens; and
WHEREAS, our families are suffering from the indifference displayed by those in leadership toward the economic well being of our citizens; and
WHEREAS, the President’s stimulus program passed us by despite federal guidelines requiring the implementers to share with all communities; and
WHEREAS, contracting opportunities currently exist in California like the high speed rail and other jobs in the pipeline evolving out of federal dollars; and
WHEREAS, the California Black Legislative Caucus established a process to assure that the State only does business with those banks that have been judged as meeting CRA guidelines the equality of bank lending, services and investment will qualify for State contracts; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California Hawaii State Conference call on the appropriate entities to take corrective actions to ensure fair distribution of state contracts; and look into the Federal Guidelines for equitable distribution in all communities; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we examine State Legislature simplify procedures to ensure that African American communities receive a fair share of funding; and an oversight body be created to ensure participation.
Resolution #18
NAACP ACTION PLAN FOR CALIFORNIA RE-ALIGNMENT
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Submitted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed Assembly Bill (AB) 109 and AB 117, historic legislation that will enable California to close the revolving door of low-level inmates cycling in and out of state prisons and was launched on October 1, 2011; and
WHEREAS, realignment is the cornerstone of California’s solution for reducing the number of inmates in the state’s 33 prisons to 137.5 percent design capacity by May 24, 2013, as ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, AB 109 allows non-violent, non-serious, and non-sex offenders to serve their sentence in county jails instead of state prisons; and
WHEREAS, the Community Corrections Partnership (CCP), which was previously established in Penal Code § 1230, will develop and recommend to the county Board of Supervisors an implementation plan for 2011 Public Safety Realignment; and
WHEREAS, No inmates currently in state prison will be transferred to county jails or released early; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the CA NAACP will advocate for programs that meet the needs of people released from prison and advocate for workforce development, Prop 63, HUD, shelter+care, HPRP and SASCA and private foundation funding for these programs; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAACP will hold community based service organizations and government accountable for providing quality care and services to formerly incarcerated people involved in realignment; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP will organize expungement hearings to clear the records of formerly incarcerated people; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP will utilize the California Information Act and call for the evaluation of community service organizations success and failure rate, establish an oversight and accountability process to make sure complaints are being responded to and to ensure prop 63 funding-specifically for mental health services is also being used for realignment; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP incorporates realignment language into criminal justice policy making at city, county and state level; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP will advocate for a full integration of mental health, employment and other service records of formerly incarcerated people so more adequate services will be available to them; and
THREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP will develop a tool kit to help units advocate to each County Board of Supervisors to demand that the NAACP be a part of realignment process through submitting a letter, organizing town hall meetings and activate our grassroots base to hold the county accountable
Resolution #19
RESOLUTION TO FORM THE CALIFORNIA TOGETHER TASK FORCE
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23, 2011
WHEREAS, California is now a state where the majority of its population is comprised of ethnic minorities; and
WHEREAS, over the years each of the ethnic groups have a similar mission and work on similar problems but carry out their work in separate silos; and
WHEREAS, over the years based upon a myriad of factors, trust among and between the groups have diminished; and
WHEREAS, ethnic communities are currently under assault by the right-winged and Tea Party members; and
WHEREAS, the programs and services we have fought for and won will be lost hurting those who need them the most; and
WHEREAS, justice in America is significantly tied to the economic plight of its citizens and labor rights under attack is a direct blow to the viability; and
WHEREAS, California will be more viable when this new majority takes matters into our own hands and begins to run the state cooperatively for the good of all its citizens; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California Hawaii NAACP form a “Together Task Force”, that may include external participation, emanating from the themes of this workshop to further develop its concepts; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the California Hawaii NAACP, appoint a Chair of the task force who will sit on the Executive Committee; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the task force in conjunction with local units hold at least two Together Forums, one in the North and one in the South during 2012.
Resolution #21
RESOLUTION FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT & POLITICAL ACTION
Submitted By: California Hawaii State Conference Date Adopted: October 23,2011
WHEREAS, the NAACP has been historically engaged in political action to improve and extend rights and resources into the community; and
WHEREAS, voter registration has always been a strategy to shape future elections; and
WHEREAS, churches are the representatives of the citizens we seek to reach; and
WHEREAS, vote by mail, absentee, and early voting will ensure higher voter participation; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California Hawaii State Conference urge units to launch a voter registration campaign to increase participation in the primary and general elections of 2012; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that high school and college youth in each area be included and heavily involved in these voter registration campaigns.
