Cape Girardeau's chapter of NAACP revived

Deborah Young is tired of seeing declining graduation rates. She's tired of hearing about crime or drugs on the south side of town. But most of all, she's tired of the minority community not having a unified voice.

"Do we have a voice here now? No, we don't. I'm talking about our county government. They haven't paid much attention to what's going on with us. We know it's up to ourselves to make a difference," she said.

Late last month, Young reactivated the charter for the Cape Girardeau branch of the NAACP, or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The organization gradually lost membership during the 1990s before becoming inactive about eight years ago.

So far, Young has recruited about 80 people to the NAACP. While the organization's objectives call for "political, educational, social and economic equality" for all people, Young said the Cape Girardeau chapter will focus mainly on youth.

Many of the chapter's goals mirror those set decades ago, including teaching students to be leaders, reducing violence, creating outlets for youths and increasing political empowerment.

"I'd like to see the group address some of the things in our public school systems in town. When I moved here, I brought two high school kids with me, and man, it's terrible," said Stephanie Johnson-Lane.

"When I moved here I said, 'Our area is like 25 years behind the times,'" she said. Johnson-Lane hopes a mentoring program for teens is created once the NAACP branch becomes more established.

The original charter of the Cape Girardeau NAACP branch dates back to 1942. In the 1990s, membership declined as the population engaged in the civil rights movement aged. Chapter president Michael Sterling moved out of Cape Girardeau in 1999, and his replacement, the Rev. David Allen, has since died.

"I think the African-American community is reawakening and finding its voice," said Lloyd Williams, who publishes the newspaper "The Crossroad," which focuses on the black community in Southeast Missouri.

He said president-elect Barack Obama's candidacy helped revive the movement.

Young recently ran an unsuccessful campaign for county treasurer and works as a "community organizer." She repeatedly stressed the chapter "is not here to cause violence."

"I find that when you say NAACP, Caucasians are afraid for some reason. That's one of the biggest issues we're facing. We're trying to deal with that and let them know we're peaceful," Young said. She said there are two white people who have joined the chapter and that three of the national organization's founders were white.

The organization will hold its first membership drive at 6 p.m. Dec. 20 in the University Center Ballroom on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Those interested in membership can call Young at 334-8867.

"Youth need a sense of competence, a sense of usefulness, a sense of belonging and a sense of power. If we concentrate on all these things, I think we'll get the positive outcome we're looking for," Young said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

388-3627

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