The NAACP is first and foremost a civil rights organization. I agree with Terrell Thomas, the new Criminal Justice Director of the National NAACP that we are in a mass incarceration crisis in this country. It is a national, state and local problem that requires national, state and local solutions.
That is why I encourage you to attend the Saturday, Dec. 14, Community Forum on Criminal Justice Reform to be held at the Chapel Hill Public Library. I serve as co-chair of the District 18 Racial Justice Task Force which is the primary sponsor of the forum. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP is a co-sponsor.
This will be an opportunity for members of the public to hear what our elected officials and other criminal justice stakeholders are doing in the name of justice. The forum will also provide an opportunity for you to let those officials know what is important to you. Informed and engaged citizens are democracy's best defense.
Jonathan Rapping, the nationally recognized founder of Gideon's Promise, will be the keynote speaker. This flier below provides more details.