NAACP New Bedford

Community Foundation Virtual Tour

On June 30th John Vasconcellos of the Community Foundation of Southern Massachusetts conducted a Virtual Tour of Community Partnerships via Zoom. First "stop" on Vasconcellos' tour was to talk about Food Security with community partners Coastal Food Shed, Destination Soup, and Tia Maria. Second stop was to talk with partners in workforce development Merrow Manufacturing, United Neighbors of Fall River, and SER Jobs for Progress. Then the conversation turned toward organizations in the SouthCoast working to illuminate and fight racism. A combination of a global pandemic and a rash of police murders has illuminated the realities of our society in...

Addressing structural racism and police abuse

  While solutions to structural racism and police abuse go much deeper than laws punishing individual misconduct, we welcome efforts to address them. These are some of the bills that are now working their way through the Massachusetts Legislature: H1440 (Rep. Holmes) An Act establishing a special commission on structural racism H2141 / S1386 (Rep. Tyler) An Act improving juvenile justice data collection H2146 (Rep. Vieira) Resolve providing for a “Special Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training” to study and make recommendations concerning the implementation of a Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) system. H2292 (Rep. Holmes) An Act...

DC Statehood bill advances

The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday advanced legislation to make the District of Columbia the 51st state, marking the first vote in Congress in nearly 30 years to grant full congressional representation for residents of the nation's capital. Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC non-voting delegate who has pushed for statehood since she began serving in Congress in 1991, said: “Congress has two choices: It can continue to exercise undemocratic authority over 700,000 American citizens who live in the nation's capital, treating them in the words of Frederick Douglass, as ‘aliens, not citizens, but subjects.’ Or it can live up to the...

MA Legislature looks at Police Accountability

Police accountability needs to move from the streets to the State House. Symbolic gestures are not enough when Black and Brown lives are on the line. It's time for real limits on police powers and systemic reforms to hold police accountable for violence and abuse. The NAACP New Bedford Branch is supporting two urgent police accountability measures now before Beacon Hill legislators. Ask your organization to sign this Google form indicating their support for the two bills and please share this request with others. To build power behind these bills quickly, we have to show our strength in numbers. Our...

Support MA Infrastructure and COVID-19 legislation

  The NAACP New Bedford Branch urges support for the following state legislation: Senate Vote on Thursday, July 2nd - call today An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2020 to authorize certain COVID-19 spending in anticipation of federal reimbursement (H4808) - would create a pathway for undocumented immigrants to get Massachusetts driver's licenses. Senate Infrastructure Funding (S2790) - to provide for a program of capital investments for public safety, governmental infrastructure, information technology and data and cyber-security improvements to various state programs, services, agencies, institutions and properties and to fund technology infrastructure; of special important to NB Schools...

BuyBlack NB initiative

BuyBlackNB is a new initiative dedicated to highlighting, discovering, and promoting Black-owned businesses in New Bedford and surrounding towns. The platform launched this month with an interactive map and directory of over 75 Black-owned businesses. They will continue to add businesses to the directory and drive awareness of these Black-owned businesses across social media platforms. According to a press release, BuyBlackNB does not charge businesses to be listed in the directory or featured on social media. If your business is not yet listed, please submit to www.buyblacknb.com.

Community Reading Circle

On June 16th, following the murder of George Floyd, the YWCA of Southeastern Massachusetts began offering a Community Reading Circle and book Discussion on racism. The discussion is hosted by Andrea M. Garr-Barnes, MSW, an Equity and Inclusion Facilitator (and NAACP New Bedford Branch member); Jamie Berberena, Community Advocate; and Jordan Latham of the YWCA. Registration for the discussion group, which now numbers over 100 Zoom participants, is closed. The group is now reading Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility: Why it's so hard for White People to Talk about Racism and will be meeting for the third time on Tuesday.

Not an Apology but a Policy

In Minneapolis four police officers ignored pleas from the public to stop asphyxiating George Floyd, who died handcuffed as one of them knelt on his neck for nine full minutes. This followed in short order the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia by a police officer and his son, and a shoot-first, ask-questions-later home invasion by a SWAT team in Kentucky which killed an 26 year-old EMT, Breonna Taylor. These murders were the last straw for many folks, and the country has erupted in protest which, in retrospect, should surprise no one. Thoughts and prayers won’t cut it this time....

Sheriff Hodgson’s Resignation Rally

The NAACP New Bedford Branch joins in solidarity with Bristol County for Correctional Justice (BCCJ) to call for the resignation of Sheriff Hodgson. Please support by attending the rally scheduled for Saturday, January 18, 2020 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm at the Coalition for Social Justice Office. For more information see flyer attached. BCCJ-flyerDownload
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