Relatively new to the NAACP, President Dawn Evans has her own philosophy for the Cape Girardeau chapter:
-- Work with other caring organizations.
-- Get job training for the unemployed.
-- Keep children of color in school.
Elected at a Friday-night meeting attended by 20, Evans will take office in January. She succeeds longtime NAACP activist Michael Sterling, who was elected president in 1991 and has been involved with the organization for 17 years.
Evans joined in 1989, after she and her family moved to Cape Girardeau from Racine, Wis. While in Racine, she lived next door to the local NAACP president but never became involved.
"Perhaps it was my children getting older or my own maturity that caused me to become more aware, to appreciate the efforts of those in the NAACP," Evans said. "They have afforded me many opportunities."
Evans has served as secretary of the group since she joined. When Sterling chose not to run for president again, fellow members encouraged her to seek the post. She accepted the nomination.
Since Evans joined, NAACP members have accomplished several goals, including the switch to a ward form of government in Cape Girardeau, passed in 1992. The organization also worked for the adoption of a minimum property standard, which passed last month.
But there are challenges ahead, and Evans said she would like to see the NAACP become more inclusive to face them.
"I hope in these endeavors we become like a train headed for a certain destination," she said. "Every time it stops, more people should get on board."
Her goals include:
-- Keeping African-American children from being suspended and expelled, if possible. Evans said she thinks the large number being expelled contributes to a rising problem with crime.
"If they are kicked out of school, they are available to hang out on the street and do all the things the police don't want them doing," she said.
Evans plans to meet with parents, the school board and other NAACP members to find a solution to what she perceives as an expulsion problem. She said she wants to know why the children are misbehaving and if there is a better way to discipline them.
-- Getting more scattered-site housing. Evans stressed that it isn't housing projects the NAACP wants, it is more homes for those who need them. She would like to see at least 25 made available through government funding.
-- Accessing more job training. Evans believes that if more people were trained or re-trained for employment, more of them would get good jobs, become homeowners and begin giving back to the community.
Former president Sterling, who was promoted to regional coordinator of the NAACP for Southeast Missouri, which takes in chapters in Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Charleston, Malden and Caruthersville, said he was confident in Evans' ability to take his place.
"During my term as president, we managed to bring the NAACP to the forefront, and the groundwork has been laid for Mrs. Evans to set her own goals," Sterling said. "I think she will do an excellent job, but she needs people to make a commitment to the organization."
The membership present at Friday's election said they were pleased with the election outcome.
"I think, with the infusion of new blood, we will see an acceleration and expansion of our organization," member Travis Clayton said.
Others elected were: Freddie Ford, vice president; Leola Twiggs, secretary; and Angela Ford, treasurer. Members of the executive board are: Yvonne Egson, James Hudson, Robert Robinson, Gene Shavers, Patricia Shavers, Juanita Spicer, Barbara Swan, Debra Willis, John Yarber and Ted Fedler.
The NAACP will attempt to raise funds for the upcoming year at its Thanksgiving Feast today at May Greene School. The group will sell dinners from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For additional information about the group, call the hotline at 314-339-2744.
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