For CT State NAACP, a time of achievement By Scot X. Esdaile

For CT State NAACP, a time of achievement

By Scot X. Esdaile



In his
May 9 letter, "Esdaile should step down from role as NAACP
president," Jimmie
Griffin, ousted former Connecticut and Waterbury
NAACP chapter president,
questioned the vitality and relevance of the
Connecticut NAACP, as well as my
leadership. It is unfortunate that
this dialogue has emerged in the midst of
heightened racial tensions
in this country, and at a time when community
cohesion is needed most.

I am proud of the NAACP's many milestones and
achievements — feats
that could not have been accomplished without the support
and
solidarity of our branch presidents and executive committee. Even
though
the state NAACP and black community had to contend with one of
the most
devastating financial recessions in America's history, the
organization still
achieved many major victories in the civil-rights
arena. Among the highlights
of my tenure as president over the last
decade are:

When I became president,
the Connecticut NAACP members had an average
age of 66, and we had only four
youth councils in good standing.
Today, we have 12 youth and college units,
with two more applying for
new charters and reactivation.

Our advocacy
resulted in the appointment of four judges to the state
bench, and the federal
appointment of Judge Vanessa L. Bryant.

The NAACP has hosted a series of
Great Debates between Historical
Black Colleges and Universities and their Ivy
League counterparts,
which have brought some of the country's brightest minds
to the state
and resulted in the formation of debate teams at more than a
dozen
schools.

My advocacy helped bring national NAACP President Ben Jealous
to
Connecticut to support the abolishment of the death penalty.
Connecticut
became the first state to eradicate the death penalty
since the Troy Davis case
in Georgia. Since then, I have worked in
Maryland, Delaware and Oklahoma to
assist with similar efforts.

The Connecticut NAACP has raised awareness of
workplace racism by
demanding accountability from construction companies where
nooses have
been found. This culminated in the passage of legislation that
made
hanging a noose a hate crime in Connecticut.

As a direct result of the
NAACP's efforts, Connecticut has increased
the number of people of color in
leadership positions, and on state
boards and commissions.

As a member of
the NAACP national board, I am able to ensure that
issues facing residents of
color in Connecticut remain part of the
organization's national discourse.

A
study conducted by the state NAACP that revealed woeful
under-representation of
minority employees and contracting at the
state's 29 hospitals prompted a swift
response and action from those
health-serving institutions.

Drawing
attention to the disparity among school districts, the state
NAACP mobilized
efforts on behalf of a homeless single mother who was
charged with sending her
child to a neighboring school district. As a
result of these efforts, which
received national attention, parents
who place their children in
out-of-district schools no longer face the
possibility of being charged with a
felony.

n The Connecticut NAACP received a federal judge's permission in
2006
to intervene in a No Child Left Behind case. The U.S. Supreme Court
ruled
in the NAACP's favor, agreeing state money used to fight the law
could be used
for other purposes to help minority children.

n The NAACP has strengthened
its relationship with the American Civil
Liberties Union, collaboratively
confronting issues such as the use of
taser reform, mandatory minimum
sentencing, voter rights and racial
profiling.

These efforts and others,
such as our Manson Youth Institute Prison
Program, national award-winning
health fairs, gubernatorial debates,
advocacy for firefighters combating racial
discrimination in several
municipalities, and support for the passage of the
state's landmark
education reform bill, are proof of the NAACP's progress.
Moreover,
our efforts this year include support for Second Chance
legislation;
addressing issues of police brutality and misconduct in
urban
communities, and confronting the state's long-standing achievement
gap,
which continues to have a ripple effect in terms of unemployment
and
incarceration.

The state NAACP has made many strides, but these facts are
proof
positive of the many societal challenges yet to be addressed. I
am
grateful to the members of the NAACP and the greater community who
continue
to focus on the struggle and the work ahead of us, and will
remain vigilant in
ensuring our collective voices are heard.

Scot X. Esdaile is president of the
Connecticut NAACP State Conference
and a national board member.