Voting Rights, healthcare, policing, gun violence, criminal justice among the topics to be addressed by NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus and others during National Convention in Baltimore

Voting Rights, healthcare, policing, gun violence, criminal justice among the topics to be addressed by NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus and others during National Convention in Baltimore

Sen. Ben Cardin (Md.), Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (lll.), Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.), Rep. Bobby Scott (Va.) Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (Tex.), CBC Chair-Rep. Cedric Richmond (La.) and many others to discuss key legislative policy priorities during Trump Era

      BALTIMORE, MD — The 2016 election has begun a radical transformation of the civil rights landscape in the United States in ways that threaten to unravel decades of hard won protections.

Protecting communities of color from legislative attempts to further diminish civil rights protections represents a key line drawn in the sand by the NAACP and serve as the focal point of the annual Federal Policy and Legislative Workshop during this year’s 108th National Convention.

“The slow dismantling of policies that support and under-gird our nation’s civil rights laws and protection will neither be accepted nor tolerated by the NAACP. We plan to utilize our alliances with elected officials, Congressional champions and our over 2,200 membership units around the nation to fight back tooth and nail,” said NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell.

Scheduled for Monday, July 24th, running from 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. in Hall F of the Baltimore Convention Center, the Federal Policy and Legislative Workshop brings together members of Congress to discuss key “bread and butter” legislation and public policy issues facing the African American community during the first session of the 115th Congress. These issues include: Voting Rights; Policing Issues; Gun Control; Health Care; Labor issues; and overall Criminal  Justice reform among other issues of grave concern.

Led by its Washington Bureau, the NAACP will also empower audience participants and our thousands of members as well as civil and human rights advocates from around the nation and world with updated Congressional Agendas; tools books; advocacy packets; legislative report cards; and action alerts, issue alerts, issue updates, and issue briefs on issues relative to our 5 “game changers” and other appropriate educational material addressing our federal policy agenda.

“It’s important that our legislative and regulatory advocacy ground-game adequately pushes back against the callous ways in which this administration has attempted to turn the clock back on health care, voter protections, police reforms and civil rights,” said NAACP Washington Bureau Director Hilary O. Shelton.

“The NAACP plans on ensuring that progressive policies that protect the basic rights afforded to our citizens do not become a thing of the past, but are advanced and strengthened for our future.” The event will be moderated by Hilary Shelton along with co-moderator Mark Thompson, host of “Make it Plain,” on Sirius XM Radio.

KEY PARTICIPANTS AND CRUCIAL LEGISLATION THEY’LL DISCUSS:

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (Md.):  End Racial and Religious Profiling Act; the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act; U.S. Senator Cory Booker (N.J.): Sentencing Reform; Reverse Mass Incarceration; White House Voter Fraud Commission; U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (Ill.):  Police Training; Accountability; Veterans Affairs; U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (CA): Hate Crimes; Bail Reform; U.S. Representative Robert “Bobby” Scott (Va.): education, juvenile justice and labor issues; U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (Tex.): Immigration and criminal justice issues; U.S. Representative Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (Ga.): Election reform technology and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the militarization of local law enforcement agencies; U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (Ill.):  Gun Violence and Healthcare ; U.S. Representative Cedric Richmond (La.), Chairman, Congressional Black Caucus  CBC):  CBC Legislative priorities; .S. Representative Nanette Barragán (Calif.):  Health Equity and Reform U.S. Representative Scott Taylor (Va.): Policing issues.