America’s New Senator
By LeNá Ferguson-Powe
The United States Senate has a new member. On October 16 Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker was elected to the United States Senate. Booker will join lone African American Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, bringing the nation’s number of African American Senators to two.
Booker, a Stanford University and Yale Law School graduate has been praised for his political savvy and intellectual charm. With a mission to make Newark a national example of “urban transformation,” according to Booker the 44 year old Democratic Mayor has been thrust into the national spotlight on a number of occasions. Touted by some as a potential future Presidential candidate, Booker seems to have mastered the ever complicated political tango while maintaining the allure of a grassroots politician who is seemingly for the people.
Becoming the first African American to represent New Jersey, Booker has already solidified his place in America’s great history. He is also only the fourth African American in the history of the country to be elected by popular vote. Only time will tell how much he will add to the country’s story. A story currently being tainted by a lack of bipartisan impute and effort, which hopefully Booker can overcome while managing to maintain his signature the charismatic fervor and ambition.
In the meantime, the country should celebrate because Booker not only symbolizes the evolution of America but he also has the opportunity to be a new voice for its people. The beauty of politics, which allows an advocate to become a powerful voice, is often overpowered by the ugly reality often associated with the political process. Hopefully Booker’s election will be more of an example of the great democratic political process this country is proud to call its own.
Lorraine C. Miller Named Interim President & CEO of NAACP
By NewsOne Staff
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held its final National Board of Directors meeting of 2013 this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, making a number of significant announcements for the future of the organization.
• NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous made his final address to the National Board of Directors, citing the NAACP’s accomplishments in the last five years, and he received a sustained standing ovation from the board, trustees and staff.
• NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock announced that National Board Member Lorraine C. Miller was named the Interim President and CEO of the 104-year-old organization while the search to select a new President and CEO begins.
• The leadership of the search committee to select a new President and CEO has been named. The Chair of the Committee will be Rev. Theresa Dear of Bartlett, Illinois, and the Vice Chair will be Lamell McMorris of Washington, D.C. Dear and McMorris are both members of the NAACP National Board.
• A new partnership between the NAACP and TV One has been approved by the Board of Directors, and the television network will carry the 45th NAACP Image Awards for the next five years. The Image Awards will be held February 22, 2014 in the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California.
• The NAACP has been accredited to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which allows the Association to attend and conduct advocacy at UNFCCC international meetings.
• New national board members were announced: Da’Quan Marcell Love, a senior at Hampton University in Virginia; Joshua S. Turnquest, a sophomore at Syracuse University in New York; and A.M.E. Zion Bishop Dennis V. Proctor, who was elected to fill the unexpired term held by A.M.E. Zion Bishop Roy A. Holmes, who passed away this year. With the passing of Bishop Holmes, Bishop Proctor was assigned to preside over the New York, Western New York, and United Kingdom Episcopal Districts, in addition to Alabama-Florida.
“This is a moment of great change and great opportunity for the NAACP,” stated NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock. “We are excited to work with Lorraine C. Miller during this time of transition. We are confident that Lorraine will serve the Association with a steady and experienced hand as we continue the search for the next President and CEO.”
“I am honored to have been selected for this venerable role,” stated Miller. “I look forward to continuing the path forged by Chairman Brock and President Jealous in the months ahead. These are important times, and the important work of the NAACP will go on.”
“Lorraine is a natural fit as interim president of the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization,” stated NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “She comes into this position with two decades of experience working for the U.S. House of Representatives and an even longer career in civil rights advocacy and policy. She will have the honor of leading the dynamic staff of this great organization.”
Miller is a commercial real estate broker with Keller Williams and sits on the Board of D.C. Vote. She served as the first African American clerk (and the first African American officer) of the U.S House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, and previously worked for former House Speakers Nancy Pelosi, Tom Foley and Jim Wright, as well as U.S. Rep. John Lewis. She also worked in the Clinton White House, as Bureau Chief at the Federal Communications Commission and as Director of Congressional Relations for the Federal Trade Commission. Additionally, she worked at the American Federation of Teachers. She is a faithful member of the historic Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
Miller served as President of the Washington, D.C. NAACP Branch for six years, and as a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors since 2008. On the Board of Directors, she serves as a member of the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Advocacy and Policy Committee, and she played a significant role in the creation of the NAACP’s Game Changers.
Miller will begin her role as Interim President and CEO and assume day-to-day responsibility for the Association on November 1st, according to the transition plan approved by the National Board of Directors. Jealous’ tenure with the Association will end officially on December 31.
Tuskegee University’s President Gilbert Rochon Resigns
TUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) — Gilbert Rochon has resigned as president of Tuskegee University after three years on the job.
The Tuskegee board of trustees announced Saturday that Rochon offered his resignation during a board meeting, and the board accepted. The resignation was effective immediately.
The board said Tuskegee alumnus Matthew Jenkins will serve as acting president. He’s retired from a veterinary practice in Compton. Calif., and is chairman of SDD Enterprises, a real estate investment and property management firm that operates in eight states. His foundation has been a major donor to Tuskegee.
The board chairman, retired Maj. Gen. Charles Williams, said the board will conduct a national search for a new president.
