With the national NAACP set to celebrate its 100th birthday on Feb. 12, Baltimore City’s branch is planning its own celebration too.
The plans, which include a float at the Martin Luther King Day parade, several teach-ins at local schools and lectures by civil rights scholars, are all part of recognizing the storied civil rights organization’s future — not just its past, said local chapter President Marvin “Doc” Cheatham.
“Some people may question our relevancy, but there is no city agency and elected official that represents people that have problems the way we do.
“I always tell people, walk with me for a week and see what I see. We have problems with crime, drug addiction, health care in this city, and when those problems arise, the NAACP is the place people turn to.”
Jan. 19: NAACP float in Martin Luther King Day Parade
Feb. 19: Birthday celebration and viewing of the NAACP Image Awards
April 4: Centennial Life Members Luncheon in honor of Dr. King
July 2: Thurgood Marshall Day
Oct. 28: NAACP Centennial Freedom Fund Banquet
Cheatham said the centennial celebration is an important recognition of the organization’s crucial role in American history.
“I think we’re going to continue to be an important organization.” he said. “Unless America changes how it deals with people, the work of the NAACP will never go out away. We will always be at the forefront of helping people who have nowhere else to turn.”
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909 after several race riots prompted prominent blacks in New York to organize a group to promote equality for blacks. The first meeting was held on Feb. 12, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
The Baltimore City branch was founded in April 1912, Cheatham said.
“We will be 96 this year, so there is a lot of history here in Baltimore too.”
Nationally, the NAACP has events planned throughout the year to mark the centennial, culminating in a cake-cutting ceremony at the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles.
Cheatham, recently re-elected to his third term, said he will continue to address problems in the city.
“We had 43 young people murdered in the city this year, so there is a lot of work left to do.”
State Del. Jill Carter, daughter of the late civil rights activist Walter P. Carter and a member of the organization, said the NAACP still plays a vital role locally.
“Doc Cheatham has been a drum major for justice in the city,” Carter said. “He has breathed life into the organization and continued to make things better for all us. I think his work proves the NAACP is as vital today as ever.”
