Okaloosa County ACT-SO Medals at National! Ft Walton Beach. FL — The Okaloosa County Branch, NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among high school students. ACT-SO offers high school students an opportunity to compete in STEM, Humanities, Business, Performing Arts and Visual Arts. These disciplines further breaks down into 32 categories. Almost 300,000 young people have participated from the program since its inception.

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Art Blakely, ACT-SO Chairman for the past 27 years, stated, “We had 6 youth compete at the National ACT-SO Competition in San Antonio, TX on July 12-15, 2018. Two (2) of our participants won bronze medals, Simrun Sharma and Josiah Walker.” Over our 27 year history we’ve had 7 medal winners at the national level.

Simrun Sharma, a rising senior at Niceville High School, won a Bronze medal in Oratory. Simrun won using her original material and directly reflects of her command of language arts and the strong ability to convey thoughts to her audience. Josiah Walker is a 2018 graduate of the Christian Institute of Arts and Sciences High School in Pensacola. He plays six different instruments, writes and composes his own music and was recently accepted into the Berklee College of Music. The success of these students is directly attributed to their dedication, the support of their parents and teachers, and especially the financial sponsorship of the Okaloosa County NAACP, Gregg Chapel A.M.E. Church, Striving for Perfection Ministries, Walmart Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank, Gulf Power, 100/100 Support Team, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

And other sponsors. We are working to create a more active year-round program to help promote interest in the 32 disciplines and continue developing talented and well rounded young citizens. Art Blakely at (850) 685-0526? For additional information on this great developmental program. Branch Accomplishments The following highlights some of the accomplishments and recognition of the Branch during the past 60 years.

The gaps between the years are due to the fact that during the early years many members oif the branch were unable to publicly admit they were members of the NAACP due to reprisals against them and fear of losing not only their jobs but also due to threats to their families. Through it all the Okaloosa County Branch of the NAACP remains a strong and viable organization in the county. We owe or achievements first to Almighty God and second to the many foot soldiers and Freedom Fighters upon whose shoulders we now stand. Through God’s mighty blessings and the support of many members of all races in the community we continue to struggle for equality and justice for the people we serve. 12 April 1948. The Branch, having met the required number for membership, was chartered as the Fort Walton Beach Branch.

During this period the Branch wasn’t perceived to be very effective by State NAACP officials. In fact, no one was ready to stand up and claim that he or she was President of the Branch. We do know, however, that the Branch was involved in an early Civil Rights case when Florida sued as plaintiff First Lieutenant Robert. He was accused of violating the Jim Crow Law by refusing to sit at the back of the bus while traveling through Crestview on his way to Korea.

The court sentenced him “in absentia” and fined him. Williams was defended by attorney Charles F.

Unfortunately, Lt. Williams gave his life for his country when his plane was shot down in Korea before he could return to the states and effectively fight the charge. (Source: Robert. Book Bridging the Gap) In 1952 Mr. Nathanial (aka Nate) Harris moved to Okaloosa Country and became the first “Official” President of the Fort Walton Beach Branch. Nate owned a sign shop and worked along with Deacon Clarence Alford and two Black policemen who helped to patrol the local neighborhoods during disasters such as hurricanes. Harris helped to organize many other Branches in Northwest Florida and cooperated with Civil Rights leaders such as Mr.

Willis Bankeston, President of the Progressive Community Organization (PCIO), Mr. Pete Early, Mr. Buster David, Mr.

Joe Davenport, Ms. Mary Givens, Rev. Eugene Jones, Rev. Robinson, Deacon James King and wife Otis Whitley. (Source: Biography of Mr. Nate Harris, 2002 Freedom Fund Banquet Booklet) 1960s.

Marcus Davis and his wife became key spokespersons as Crestview attempted to recruit younger, more aggressive members. His success was tempered, however, by caution in light of the severe opposition of some local white residences.

Marcus feared that active promotion of the NAACP membership would put segregationists on guard, prompting them to begin threatening those who belonged to the organization. (Source: Saunders, Bridging the Gap) 1970s. During this period a major Class Action Complaint was logged against Eglin Air Force Base alleging unlawful employment practices and discrimination against Black employees due to race. Unrest among Black residents of the county led to a peaceful march against the base in 1976 under the direction of NAACP President Clanston Seymore.

The march had a lasting effect on the base and the local population as it marked a movement towards equal employment and opportunity at military installations throughout the South. The following individuals served as President of the Branch during this time: Rev.

Cotton, 1971-1973 Rev. Clanston Seymore, 1974-1976 Rev Kenneth T.

Turner, 1975-1976 Mr. Jim Miller 1976-1981 1980s. We saw the establishment of the Plaintiff Monitoring Committee. (PMC) Judge Pat Maney served as one of the original Lawyers for the Plaintiff. The Federal Courts approved a 2.4 million dollar settlement for Blacks who had applied for employment, were employed, or had been employed at Eglin Air Force Base during a certain period of time.

They also mandated that 100 Blacks be hired and several others be promoted as a result of past discrimination. During this time the NAACP was also instrumental in having Mark Twain’s Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn removed from the required reading list at Choctaw High School and filing discrimination charges against Hardee’s Restaurant that led to a change in their hiring practices. Active Branch Presidents during this time included: Mr. Jim Miller, up to 1981 Rev.

Thigpen, 1981-1982 Rev. Robert (Bob) Stitts, 1982-1985 Mrs.

1985-1991 1990s. This was a very active time in the history of the Branch. The Branch was renamed the Okaloosa County Branch in recognition of the contributions of Crestview and other municipalities throughout the area. We also spearheaded renaming “Freedom Way” street to “Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.” Along with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) under the leadership of Mr. David Preston (deceased) the Branch organized a march to the Okaloosa County School Administration building in opposition to the firing of Dr. Naomi Barnes, the second Black female school principle in the county’s history.

In 1992 we accomplished the realization of Mr. Roy Corlew’s dream to implement the National Afro-American Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program. With the skill and tenacity of Mr. Blakely and the aid and assistance of Dr. James Richbourg, President of Okaloosa Walton Junior College (location of the competition for the past 17 years) we witnessed our first National ACT-SO Bronze Medal winner in Dramatics, Corey Robinson.

In 1996 we launched a campaign called “Switch to Fight” designed to switch more than 1500 Democrats to the Republican Party in order to secure their right to vote and participate in the outcome of local elections. This controversial effort was much discussed and even achieved national attention in the USA Today and on the McNeil/Lehrer Hour.

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Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Was the keynote speaker at our Freedom Fund Banquet. In 1997 Natoya Golden was elected as Youth Representative for Region V. She was also elected as President of the Florida State Conference Youth & College Division and Past Council President.

Erica Hardison was elected as Vice President Florida State Conference Youth and College Division, marking the beginning of the Branch and Youth Council becoming a force with the State Conference. The branch Presidents during this era included: Mr. Lewis Jennings, 1991-1996 Mr. Sabu Williams, 1996 –2013 2000s. Lift Every Voice and Vote, a National NAACP Bus tour makes a stop at our first ever Black Leadership at Okaloosa Walton Community College (Now Northwest Florida State College) in Niceville.

The Branch participated in the March on Tallahassee to protest the 2000 Presidential Election voting irregularities and to demand that our votes be counted. In March 2001 Florida State Conference President Adora Obi Nweze presided over the opening of our first Branch Office at 119 Hollywood Blvd. With a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the FWB Chamber of Commerce. Branch members participate in a community effort to avoid the closing of Combs New Heights Elementary School, a historically Black elementary school. Although the school would eventually close to elementary students it remains in operation as a blended school and we were able to have the school’s name return to its original name W.E. Despite the opposition of many Northwest Florida political leaders, we joined the statewide call for Action in Education and successfully passed a Constitutional Amendment calling for Smaller Classroom Sizes in the State, we held a Black Educators meeting at OWCC to discuss recruitment retention and strategies for African-American Educators and actively participated in ongoing Civil Rights action concerning the public display of the Confederate Flag in Crestview, Lake County, DeFuniak Springs and Mississippi.

One of our most successful actions came when we determined it was time for the county to recognize the Rev. Martin Luther King Holiday. To that end, we first marched through the city offices of the City of Ft. Walton Beach and petitioned the City Council to recognize the holiday. The vote was unanimous for.

Afterwards we proceeded to every municipality in the county and within a year we had successfully petitioned every governing body to recognize the holiday. The City of Valparaiso, however was the most resistant.

We carried a secret weapon with us to that meeting. Her name is Valerie Wright and she is the granddaughter of Mr.

This young 16 year old youth council member gave an impassioned speech to the Mayor and City Council which led to a majority vote in favor of recognizing the holiday, despite the opposition of Mayor John B. Attorney Daniel Uhlfelder, a young lawyer in Grayton Beach and then Attorney General Charlie Crist assisted our Branch in the successful defense of two employees who faced blatant diswcrimination at the worksite at Destin Water Users in Destin, Florida. Under Uhlfelder’s leadership the case was resolved and resulted in the awarding of $380K in settlement claims. Attorney Uhlfelder also successfully aided an African American Lieutenant assigned to Hurlburt Field who had faced discrimination at an establishment called “Hobos Depot” in Destin, Florida leading to a $100K settlement and the closing of the establishment. Continuing to press forward in the organization we witnessed our second National ACT-SO winner. Ms Dawn Harris won a Silver Medal based on her accomplishments in Mathematics, a tremendous testament to her educational excellence. The following year her brother Mr.

Roberteau Harris became our third ACT-SO medal winner by winning a bronze medal in Mathematics. The following year he won the Gold Medal. In 2004 we were honored to host our National Board Chairman and Civil Rights icon Mr. Julian Bond to serve as our Freedom Fun Dinner keynote speaker dinner held at the Emerald Coast Conference Center in Ft.

Walton Beach. That same year the Branch again answered the call and attended a march in Atlanta Georgia calling for the extension of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. In that same year we lobbied Congressman Jeff Miller and Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez and were pleased that each voted for the extension of the Act. In 2005 because of its reputation, attention to detail and energetic Branch members, the National Office called on our Branch to host the first NAACP National Leadership 500 Summit in Sandestin, Florida.

The Branch performed with such professionalism they were asked to host the summit again in 2006. In October 2006 the Branch Office moved to a new location at 32 Methodist Avenue, Ft. Walton Beach. The Sickle Cell Association of Olaloosa County also moved in and shared the facilities and enjoyed sharing the freedom of being back home in our neighborhood. In June 2007 our Branch called for the second Black Leadership Summit at the Emerald Coast Conference Center under the theme “Closing the Gaps, The State of Awareness of Black America in Okaloosa County.” To this day we are continuing to focus our efforts on the five key areas within our community as a result of the input we received at the summit.

Those areas include: 1) Educational Excellence 2) Economic Development 3) Political Action 4) Health Awareness 5) Youth Empowerment Most recently, the Branch successfully petitioned the City of Crestview to rename “Fairview Park” to “Allen Park” in honor of Samuel and Caroline Allen. Both of these individuals were strong supporters of the NAACP and the freedoms we enjoy are the result of them giving a lifetime of service to their community. In 2015 representatives from the Branch made every effort to work with the Okaloosa County School Board District to resolve a racially hostile school environment at Baker School in Baker, FL. Despite conference with a district official and efforts by the District, conditions did not improve for the young students being harassed.

Seeing no other alternative, the family was referred to an attorney and after moving from the area filed a lawsuit against the District. A judge in September 2017 ruled the parent’s case had merit and “facts sufficiently raise a genuine dispute as to whether the district’s response to the cumulative complaints reasonably calculated to end the racial harassment at Baker. “ The school board voted to settle the case in May 2018 but details are not yet available. In 20136 long time President Sabu Williams relocated to Korea and a new leader, Ray Nelson, filled his substantial shoes.

Current Branch President: Mr. 2013-Present Since the 1990s the Branch has demanded the removal of the Confederate Battle Flag from Crestview City property. On September 14, 2015, Branch President Raymond Nelson and the citizens of Crestview convinced the Crestview City Council to remove the flag from city property. The Council voted 4 to 0 to have the memorial and flag removed within 60 days.

There is so much more work that our Branch has done for this community that it would take a book to tell it all. Who knows, perhaps one day we will be blessed to the point that someone might take on the effort to pen that book and share our rich branch history with the rest of the world. To God be the Glory as our struggle continues. THANK YOU A big Freedom Fund thank you!

On November 18th, 2017, the Okaloosa County Branch NAACP celebrated our 28th annual Freedom Fund Banquet. We celebrated another successful event because of the steadfast support of the local churches, fraternities, sororities, civic organizations and individuals in Okaloosa County and the surrounding areas. Your support allows the Branch to provide ongoing workshops to the community about the NAACP Game Changers.

And for two to four of members to attend three-day quarterly training with the Florida State Conference in Orlando, Florida. In 2018 we will provide a more robust workshop schedule to spread the knowledge and expertise to improve our community. Six Major Areas of Inequality In the fall of 2011, the NAACP launched a process to develop its strategic direction and plan, creating a powerful vision for the future, and setting organizational goals that would focus its work for the 21st Century. The six NAACP Game Changers below address the major areas of inequality facing African Americans and other disadvantaged groups that are the focus of the NAACP’s work, including areas of Health, Economic Stability, Education, Public Safety, and Voting Rights. Locally, we will continue to work on clearer messages regarding strategies and plans and will attend training so that members can adapt the aims of the plan to the needs of our community and move it to action. Member feedback will be sent into national level discussions in order to identify the resources and support needed for members to be successful in local communities. Okaloosa County School District Accountability; Gains overshadowed by leadership accountability We have seen our school district soar to an A+ in the statewide grading system, while unbeknownst to the vast majority of the population, evidence shows there are several concerns on the equitable treatment of our children under the supervision of the Superintendent of Schools, Mary Beth Jackson.

'In terms of student achievement, Okaloosa Schools have soared from 11th in the state in 2013 to 4th in the state in 2015. With the release of the 2014-2015 school grades, I am elated to see that Okaloosa Schools are ranked number 2 in the state in the percentage of A+ schools. This type of progress does not occur by chance.

The credit goes to our outstanding students and the purposeful and deliberate actions of our teachers, staff, and administrators”, stated Mrs.