Last updated February 5, 2007

Kenneth Page, President The Springfield, Illinois Branch of the NAACP celebrates another year with our 86th Annual Lincoln-Douglass Banquet. Here is a bit of trivia for you: Lincoln-Douglass is President Abraham Lincoln and his close confidant, Fredrick Douglass (not Stephen Douglas) and both Lincoln (12th) and Douglass (14th) were born in the month of February…now you know.

The 2006 year was very exciting on the national level. The NAACP converged on Washington, D.C. to ensure that the Voting Rights Act passed congress. And it did. Not without the usual questions in opposition. President Bush for the first time in his presidency, made an appearance before the 97th Annual NAACP Convention. What was interesting, but not news to me, was his acknowledgement that the Republican Party had failed African Americans.

Springfield, Illinois, the home of President Abraham Lincoln, continues to serve on occasion a platter full of racism and bigotry. Just listen to the radio talk shows, letters to the Editor of the State Journal Register and the on-line comment section of the State Journal Register. It’s a welcome relief to know that most of the citizens in Springfield and the surrounding areas do not subscribe to this rhetoric. Steps were taken by the City to increase the number of African American police officers and firefighters. Hopefully this will translate into police officers on the streets and firefighters in the firehouse. This issue need to be resolved and behind us.

It is with great pleasure to welcome Mayor James Perkins, Jr. of Selma, Alabama to Springfield, Illinois. I was born and raised in Selma, Alabama. During my childhood the thought of having an African American Mayor of Selma, Alabama was nonexistent. The election of James Perkins Jr. to Mayor of Selma, Alabama is very symbolic of our 2007 theme “Voting Our Values, Valuing Our Votes”. How important it is for all of us to value our votes and vote our values. Our vote is not for sale and should not be taken for granted.

Next year will mark the 100th year anniversary of the Springfield, Illinois 1908 Race Riots. Have we recovered from this tragic event?

Sincerely,

Kenneth L. Page

Our Mission

Our mission insures the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority groups and citizens; achieves equality of rights and eliminates race prejudice among the citizens of the United States; removes all barriers of racial discrimination through the democratic processes; seeks to enact and enforce federal, state, and local laws securing civil rights; informs the public of the adverse effects of racial discrimination and seeks its elimination; educated persons as to their constitutional rights and to take all lawful action in furtherance of these principles.