Attending the reception were, left front row, Jerome S. Bowles, President NKY Branch NAACP; Virinda Garland-Doddy, Second Vice President NKY Branch NAACP; Gloria Young, Executive Committee Member NKY Branch NAACP; Covington Mayor Sherry Carran; back row right, Crystal Madaris, Executive Committee Member NKY Branch NAACP, Rev. Ted Spivey, Robbin Street Christian Church, Covington; State Sen. John Schickel, and Rev. Bennie Brown.
Staff report
The 107th National NAACP Conference held in Cincinnati this week brought thousands from across the country to celebrate “Our Lives Matter, Our Votes Count.”
The annual convention culminated with the presentation last night of the 101st NAACP Spingarn Medal to Ohio native and retired Judge Nathaniel R. Jones, recognizing his lifelong commitment to equality and civil rights.
Jones was appointed by President Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 1979.
The conference celebrated another milestone — for the NAACP’s Youth and College Division which commemorated its 80th anniversary at the conference as part of a year-long celebration.
The program included a speech by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, special programming for youth, an emphasis on voter registration, education and Get Out the Vote efforts as well as restoring the Voting Rights Act, workshops and special sessions featuring nationally known experts on a variety of topics, and a Commerce and Industry show.
Convention-goers filled hotels on both sides of the river; the convention was held at Duke Energy Center in downtown Cincinnati.
As part of the extra-curricular activities of the convention, AT&T of Kentucky sponsored a reception at the Radisson in Covington for all of the Kentucky chapters of the NAACP who had members attending the conference.
NKY NAACP President Jerome Bowles organized the event which was attended by Sen. John Schickel and Covington Mayor Sherry Carran.
