PORTLAND NAACP BRANCH INSTALLS NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, ENDS 3-YEAR HIATUS

PORTLAND, OR – September 14, 2007 - Ending a hiatus of over three years, the Portland N.A.A.C.P. Branch 1120 will confirm new officers and executive committee members at a special installation ceremony. The ceremony will take place Thursday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel in the Mt. Adams Ballroom, 8235 N.E. Airport Way, Portland.

The installation ceremony will confirm the placement of Charlene McGee, of the Multnomah County Health Department, as president; Reverend H.L. Hodge, Ph.D., of Northwest Voice for Christ Community Church, as first vice-president; Cashauna Hill, J.D., of the Multnomah County Courthouse, as second vice president; Favoure Miller, of the Multnomah County Health Department, as secretary; David Kong, of Hasson Realtors, as first treasurer; and Jeffrey Clark, of Intel Corporation, as chairman of communications, press, and publicity; and Shirley Nacoste and Helen Sherman, standing members of the executive committee.

 “We are incredibly excited to see these officers and executive committee members officially take on their roles as leaders in Portland’s African American community,” said Charlene McGee, branch president.  “We have a great opportunity to make a difference by building a strong, proactive and relevant branch as we anticipate the N.A.A.C.P.’s centennial in 2009 and our branch’s centennial in 2014. We are eager to face the many challenges ahead, and to seize the opportunity to educate, empower and engage Portland’s communities of color in addressing and devising effective solutions to persistent problems.”

Capitalizing on public and internal interest in the branch’s reformation, the newly-assembled executive committee finalized its agenda on September 8 for the 2007-2008 year for the promotion of key strategic initiatives of political empowerment through increasing minority voter registration and turnout; excellence in education by advocating effective public school systems and a commitment education standards set forth in Brown vs. Board of Education; advocacy of health issues by raising awareness of health justice issues and seeking access to acceptable healthcare; and rebuilding legal capacity through enhancing its legal redress committee system.

Efforts to revitalize the branch were spearheaded in April by the N.A.A.C.P.’s national office and state conference. McGee, seeking opportunities to address inequities plaguing Portland’s African American community, attended the branch’s special election and was elected president. A child of Liberian political refugees and an alumnus of Jefferson High School, McGee became an outspoken student leader at her alma mater, Oregon State University. After working for OSU as an admissions counselor, McGee transitioned into her current role as a health educator for the Multnomah County Health Department, coordinating its African American STD Disparities Program.

Portland’s N.A.A.C.P. branch was originally founded in 1914 with Dr. J.N. Merriman as its first president. The organization successfully fought to repeal Oregon’s exclusion laws, which were abolished in 1926 and 1927, established African Americans in unions, and opposed civic housing policies that excluded African Americans.

Founded in 1909, The N.A.A.C.P. is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in public and private sectors.

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