Press Pool Story
While state and national elections took center stage, there was another election in New Britain in November, as the NAACP New Britain Branch elected its leadership for 2017. Nominees for officers and Executive Board members were made in the Fall and NAACP members voted on November 9th.
The election returned Ronald P. Davis as President of the New Britain Branch. Davis is widely credited for his strong advocacy for the NAACP principles of equal rights and justice for all. He has also been recognized for his leadership in building the NAACP statewide, such as his work to foster the re-activation of the NAACP branch in Bristol.
The NAACP Branch officers elected with Davis were:
- President, Ronald P. Davis
- First Vice-President, Tim O’Brien
- Second Vice-President, Lamar Bowsky
- Third Vice-President, Monique Simmons
- Secretary, Sandra Forde
- Treasurer, Sam Simmons
- Assistant Treasurer, Kim Burkes
In addition to the officers, NAACP members elected Executive Board members to lead the organization:
- Bertha Burkes
- Valeria burkes
- Olga Callender
- Alton Brooks
- Rhona Cohen
- Stanford Lebby
- Pauline Davis
- Linda Vickers
- Gerri Brown Springer
- Keith Albert
- Brian Riley
- Violet Sims
- Peggy Lampkin
As the national NAACP notes, “the NAACP is the nation’s oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization. Its more than half-million members and supporters throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, campaigning for equal opportunity and conducting voter mobilization.”
In New Britain, the NAACP advocates for equal civil rights for all people, quality education, health care and criminal justice reform, among other things. It advocates both for public policy and defends individuals to oppose discrimination and promote equal rights.
Editor’s note: In addition to their positions in the NAACP New Britain Branch, Rhona Cohen is also Executive Editor of the New Britain Progressive and Brian Riley is President and Tim O’Brien is Treasurer of the New Britain Independent Newspaper, Inc., which publishes the New Britain Progressive.
