The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) celebrated its 100th anniversary on Feb. 12, and Alice Huffman, president of the California State Conference of the NAACP, said she is proud of the organization’s long and distinguished legacy of service.
Huffman said the venerable organization continues to forge ahead on timely issues that affect African Americans, whether it’s civil rights, education, or legislation.
“I’d like to work long enough to end discrimination in our public schools,” said Huffman, who was elected for the fifth time as president last October. “That’s our number one agenda. We’re also working to obtain a turnaround in the treatment of African Americans in the criminal justice system by addressing disparities in sentencing. We’re advocating the early releases of inmates to obtain better ways to stop the recidivism rate and for upgraded training before the prisoners are released,” she said.
Huffman said that controversial cases that challenge African American’s civil rights are still a priority with the NAACP. “Right now we are also involved in the case of the Clearlake Three, where several young African American men were shot in the back. The Caucasian suspect who allegedly shot them was completely exonerated.”
