Alabama Power Company was named the 2021 Corporate Partner of the Year by the NAACP Alabama State Conference at its 69th annual convention Saturday. The virtual event highlighted community work ranging from companies to individuals making an impact on Alabama, according to officials of the 108-year-old organization.
“Alabama Power Company has been a steadfast and dedicated partner to the NAACP for many years and we value the work the company does in the community,” said Benard Simelton, president of the NAACP Alabama State Conference. “Alabama Power’s interest in and dedicated commitment to diversity, and their displayed compassion showed during the pandemic and their customers are just a few reasons why this organization chose them as an award recipient.”
Alabama Power Corporate Relations Specialist Darlena Battle also serves as second vice president of the NAACP Metro Birmingham Branch.
“Accepting this award on behalf of Alabama Power for being recognized as the Corporate Partner of the Year is very special to me,” she said. “I’m blessed to work for a company that acknowledges the importance of the NAACP’s work and what they bring to the state of Alabama and the world as a whole.”
In July, a new marker was unveiled at Talladega College recognizing the site of Alabama’s first NAACP chapter. “In 1913, the NAACP found its way to Alabama just four years after the national organization was founded,” Simelton said. The next Southern chapter was formed four years after Talladega.
The NAACP was founded in 1909 with a vision to “ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination,” according to the association website. It is the nation’s largest civil rights organization, with “over 2 million activists fighting for change and for justice.” For more information on the NAACP and its programs, please visit www.naacp.org.
