President Barack Obama addresses 2009 NAACP Convention

In the news

100 Years Old, NAACP Debates Its Current Role

By Krissah Thompson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 12, 2009

NEW YORK -- In the beginning, the purpose of the nation's oldest civil rights organization was well defined: to achieve equal justice under the law for black Americans.

One hundred years later, as 5,000 members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People gather here to set an agenda, little is so clear-cut.

The NAACP faces a slew of questions: Has the election of the first black U.S. president marked the end of the civil rights agenda? Must an organization traditionally focused on the plight of black Americans expand its mission? What should a black civil rights organization do in 2009?

The NAACP has long been a prism through which to view the puzzle of race in America, and the current uncertainty promises to be a presence at its week-long centennial convention, which will include addresses from President Obama and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

The association's president, Benjamin Todd Jealous -- who at 36 is the youngest person to ever lead the organization -- acknowledges the pride his membership takes in hosting the first black president and attorney general but argues that their ascension does not negate the need for the NAACP. In many ways, the convention this week sets out to prove that point.

Jealous began the year by laying out his vision for an organization focused not solely on old civil rights battles, but on human rights as well. He envisions an NAACP primarily serving a black constituency but with a broader outlook.

"We are a very black organization, but we are not a black organization. There is a difference. It's the difference between being able to play the black position on the field and being able to play any position," Jealous said. "We are from our origin a multiracial, multiethnic human rights organization."

In his approach is a subtle nod to the need to respond to modern times by recalibrating the NAACP's approach to issues of race. The association, which claims more than half a million members, will host conversations on the impact of racial disparities in the criminal justice system on African American and Latino communities and on the meaning of recent Supreme Court decisions as they relate to affirmative action. It will also host a diverse panel of youth activists who are working with people of various races, ethnicities and backgrounds to deal with national and global human rights issues.

"We have succeeded in many ways -- Obama and Holder are examples of that -- but we are very much focused on the work ahead," Jealous said yesterday at the convention's opening news conference, standing with the president of the LatinoJustice PRLDEF to show solidarity in their support for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

Hazel N. Dukes, longtime president of the NAACP New York State Conference, agreed, saying, "The NAACP is alive and well." Referring to the 2,000 young people attending sessions this week, she said, "We're teaching them our history."

But appreciating the association's venerable history and finding a way forward are separate issues, historians and young activists said.

David Garrow, a civil rights historian and author of the book "Bearing the Cross," a biography of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., argues that there has been a shift away from the traditional notion of black civil rights because of the steady growth in black civic participation and decline of civil rights-era protest organizations.

So is NAACP at 100 facing the end of the civil rights era?

"It's just sort of a definitional question," Garrow said. "It's a conundrum of the label. . . . The transition from one era to another in terms of African American civil rights is really marked by the movement of African Americans into civic life and government. One could say that the election of Barack Obama marks the end of an era. It signifies the complete inclusion of black people at all levels of politics."

The presence of a black man in the nation's highest office has become a stand-in for the 1960s civil rights movement's ideal of fuller social integration of black and white communities, Garrow said. Core concerns of that time, such as geographic integration and redistribution of income, are no longer central to the discussion.

Young activists are defining their work in different terms. Basheer Jones, a 24-year-old talk radio host in Cleveland, is not a member of the NAACP; he says the organization has been out of touch. But he is attending his first NAACP convention -- at the invitation of an older member -- and calls himself a community activist, not a civil rights activist.

"This new generation of leadership has to be different. We have to have the same courage and enthusiasm, but we have to unite a little bit more despite your religion, your socioeconomic status," said Jones, who believes the current struggle is class-based. "It's a different time."

Rinku Sen, an Oakland activist who is president of the Applied Research Center, a think tank on race, said the landscape for a civil rights agenda has shifted with the country's demographics. She sees the NAACP's decision to broaden its mission beyond the black community as timely but probably difficult.

"There are a lot of new players in the game as immigrant communities have matured," Sen said. "People have the urge to come together but often find it difficult to build staying power for those alliances, and quite a lot of that loops back to racial dynamics and our inability to resolve them. There are real differences in how groups pushing for racial justice experience the problem. African Americans, Latino immigrants and South Asian Muslims don't fit in exactly the same place in the hierarchy."

Darren Hutchinson, a professor at American University's Washington College of Law, said the NAACP may face an even larger problem moving into its second century.

Americans are dealing with "racial exhaustion," he said. "A lot of people are tired of talking about race. They have to find a new language for dealing with these issues."

Jewel Shears, who joined the New Jersey chapter of the NAACP last week, said the weariness some have about the subject inspired her activism. "Race is something that we have to keep talking about with all of the disparities that exist," she said. "We have to do our due diligence to help the cause."

Jealous pointed to a "constant drumbeat of racism" to make his point.

"On the one hand, we see the image of a black man getting off Air Force One. On the other hand, we see photos of kids getting turned away from a swimming pool," he said. "We can't be post-racial until we are post-racism, and until we get there, we will be on the watch."

NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous calls for fair confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor at the organization's 100th convention in New York. Jealous has said he seeks to broaden the organization's mission to encompass more than black civil rights issues. (By Yanina Manolova -- Associated Press)

Workshop on plan to move DSS out of Hudson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 29, 2009

For more information:
Linda Mussmann at (518) 209-7966

Information sharing, community questions and Plan D on the agenda

HUDSON -- The BOTTOM LINE will host an informational workshop 6pm to 8pm, Wednesday, June 3, on the current plan to move the Columbia County Department of Social Services away from Hudson to Claverack. The workshop will present new information and clarify ongoing issues in an effort to help the community better understand the impact this decision will have on their lives. The meeting will take place in the all-purpose room at Shiloh Baptist Church, 14 Warren Street, Hudson.

Several alternatives emerged both before and since county lawmakers purchased the former Ockawamick School (Route 217 in Claverack) for $1.5 million, and then formulated the "Ockawamick Plan" to move 15 county departments outside of Hudson, the county seat. First there was Plan B, then C. The Bottom Line would like to continue the discussion with the presentation of another option -- Plan D.

Plan D is the most economical suggestion thus far and calls for maintaining the primary DSS office at its current location on Railroad Avenue. This option includes the construction of a new addition to the existing building and office reorganization, along with a healthy dose of efficient space management. The pros and cons of this idea will be part of the discussion on Wednesday.

The Bottom Line wants to hear from the public. Come and share your thoughts on the plan that will relocate DSS six miles into the countryside, next door to a country club. While the location may be appealing to the individuals that constitute the county Board of Supervisors, it is not a place easily accessible to mothers with children, the disabled and the elderly, those who are mandated to visit the office on a regular basis.

County human services, along with a network of supporting professionals and organizations are located within Hudson and must remain in place. The Columbia County Courthouse, Columbia Memorial Hospital and many law offices serve the same clientele. And because public transportation does not exist, basic accessibility to services is the issue.

What's more, with this decision, the county leadership signaled its intention to dismantle Hudson as the county seat. The relocation of DSS is just one part of the scheme, but it is arguably the most destructive because it will require massive busing of Hudson and Greenport residents (more than 60 percent of all DSS clients reside in the 12534 zip code).

"We are not convinced that 'busing people' is an idea that is prudent for a number of reasons," said Linda Mussmann. "Mainly because it will further stigmatize people already having a hard time. It's a cruel decision and wrong."

"The idea is wrong on a practical level. While the location may have been suitable for a school of the late 20th century it is totally inappropriate for a human services building in the 21st, a time when we must cut down on fuel consumption," Mussmann said.

"Our elected officials -- Art Baer, Doug McGivney, Phil Williams, Linda Scheer and Roy Brown, in particular -- are making bad choices. The decision to expand outside the city is foolish because this is a time when we should be developing thrifty and sensible ways and means of using small cities," Mussmann said.

Join us Wednesday night to learn more about how this plan will impact our community, and to voice your opinion. Be informed, write or call your elected officials. Tell your chosen representatives what you think about this plan to destroy the centralized delivery of human services.

"Stop the sprawl y'all!"

Join us 6 p.m., Wednesday (June 3) at Shiloh Baptist Church, 14 Warren Street, Hudson.

About the Bottom Line:
Founded in 2001, the Bottom Line Party focuses on issues that effect
the health, safety and economic well-being of all Hudson residents,
but especially for the working class and poor.

For more information:
Linda Mussmann at (518) 209-7966

###

BOTTOM LINE: Community Speak-Out Tuesday

Learn about Plan B and join in the discussion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 10, 2009

HUDSON -- The BOTTOM LINE will host a community speak-out 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, to learn more about Plan B, and discuss the decision to move the Columbia County Department of Social Services away from Hudson to Claverack. The meeting will take place at the First Presbyterian Church (Warren and Fourth streets, Hudson).

The Bottom Line wants to hear from the public. This meeting is an opportunity for the community to learn more, and speak out about the two proposals:

• Plan A, which will move DSS to an abandoned school building, six miles outside the city of Hudson.

• Plan B, an idea to keep DSS in Hudson (where the majority of clients live), and locate it just steps away from the existing county human services building at 325 Columbia Street.

Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera will present the details of Plan B, the idea county Board of Supervisors President Art Baer (R-Hillsdale) refused to make available to the full board prior to its March 11 vote. That plan calls for the construction of a new 30,000 sq. ft. DSS building and a new parking garage on Hudson's north side, directly adjacent to existing county facilities. Scalera will provide an artist's rendering of the projected structures and discuss the estimated costs.

The evening will also include a presentation by the BOTTOM LINE PLAYERS, a live performance in puppet-style theatrical ways and means, recapping how we got into this state of affairs. The characters include THE CHAIR, MAC GIMME, PLAN B, and more.

Coffee and donuts will be available to kick off the event.

Plan A, as approved, will relocate not only DSS, but the Veterans Office, the Public Defender and Probation, as well. Anyone requiring the services of these offices and/or seeking specific assistance with Medicaid, energy assistance (HEAP), health insurance or any other form of temporary/emergency assistance will be required to travel. Lacking a public transportation system, those without access to a private vehicle will have to travel via taxi ($20 roundtrip) or walk.

It is a long walk to Claverack from Hudson. Six miles out and six miles back. Speak out! Let us open the door to this closed-door backroom deal that was rushed to a vote, long before the Board of Supervisors had all the facts.

This rush to judgment by county leaders created a tremendous burden for the people of Columbia County, especially the most fragile among us. We will have to live with this decision for a very long time.

Join us Tuesday night to learn how this plan will impact our community, and to voice your opinion. Tell our elected officials that the decision to move key social services away from the people who need them most is a very bad idea, especially when an economically viable alternative exists.

Join us 6 p.m., Tuesday (April 14) at the First Presbyterian Church, Warren and Fourth streets, Hudson.

About the Bottom Line:
Founded in 2001, the Bottom Line Party focuses on issues that effect the health, safety and economic well-being of all Hudson residents, but especially for the working class and poor.

For more information:
Linda Mussmann at (518) 209-7966

In the news

Reactions to DSS vote vary
by John Mason
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

COLUMBIA COUNTY — Wednesday’s decision to move the Department of Social Services six miles out of Hudson to the former Ockawamick School was not a surprise, but it did spell relief for some and disappointment for others....

Alan Skerrett, county chapter president of the NAACP, was disappointed in Wednesday’s vote, but said, “Many people out there last night believe we need to continue to resist this move and will continue to resist any way we can. There seems to be a consensus of caring people that we can’t play dead.”

Speaking of caring people, Skerrett said he was most disappointed by what he saw as a lack of sensitivity among the decision-makers.

“People never respond, ‘We know it will be difficult, and we’re going to be sure it’s not a hardship.’ They never offer anything to that effect. At least say something to the effect that ‘We know this will be a hard road to go, but we’ll do our best to make it as feasible as possible.’ There’s no remorse: It makes them seem even more callous in their mission.”

He said Mayor Rick Scalera offered a dramatic contrast in his brief, but eloquent statement that was from the heart.

Supervisors approve DSS move

Protestors await the start of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors meeting inside 401 State Street, Wednesday. At that meeting, lawmakers approved the plan to move the Department of Social Services and 14 other county departments six miles outside the city of Hudson, to the abandoned former Ockawamick School. Pictured (from left): Dan Udell (C-G NAACP), Alan Skerrett (C-G NAACP), Mary Udell (C-G NAAC), Claudia Bruce, city Treasurer Eileen Halloran, Alderman Abdus Miah (D, Hudson-2) and Londa McCullough.
(Photo by John Mason, Hudson-Catskill Newspapers)

RALLY ON March 11

Bottom Line: Keep DSS in Hudson!
HOW MUCH WILL THE OCKAWAMICK PLAN REALLY COST? IS IT TRULY THE BEST OPTION?

The Columbia County Board of Supervisors is poised to move 15 county departments away from Hudson and into the abandoned former Ockawamick School in Claverack without full consideration of Plan "B," a viable option that provides the space needed, keeps the departments accessible and will cost the taxpayers less.

By contrast, the plan currently favored by the board leadership will place the Department of Social Services SIX MILES OUTSIDE of the city, despite the fact that the majority of DSS clients live in the 12534 area code. In these hard times, how can this be a smart, economic move? Is it reasonable to expect people to pay $10 to travel by taxi from Hudson -- and $10 to return -- when they need access to the services offered by DSS?

WITHOUT AN EXISTING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OR TRANSPORTATION PLAN IN PLACE HOW WILL PEOPLE GET TO OCKAWAMICK? HOW CAN A DECISION BE MADE WITHOUT THE ANSWER TO THIS ESSENTIAL QUESTION?

On Wednesday, March 11, the Board of Supervisors will be asked to vote on the proposal to remove DSS from the city. If the vote goes forward at that time the decision will be made without the benefit of critical information and analysis, and a substantial number of people will suffer as a result.

Come to 401 State Street (corner of State and Fourth streets) at 6:30 p.m. and,

• Tell the board a decision made now almost guarantees that children and families will be denied access to essential human services. People in need will fall between the bureaucratic cracks of an already unfriendly system.
• Tell the board to stop this ill-conceived and unfair proposal before it goes any further. Urge the supervisors to visit the existing DSS office on Railroad Avenue -- see what a day there entails, and experience the issues first hand.
• Tell the board to wait -- to vote after important questions are answered, and every supervisor has the information required to make a fully informed decision.

Rally to be seen and heard 6:30 p.m., Wednesday (March 11), 401 State Street, Hudson. For more information, call Linda Mussmann at (518) 209-7966.