NAACP Reno-Sparks Branch No. 1112
Founded 1944

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Updated 9-15-2019 GMT (Myers memorial gathering today)

Dennis Myers: Enroute to the universe next door
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 9-11-2019 Sparks Tribune

Philippines to Burning Man to Ireland: Adios GOAT
Dennis Myers Memorial announced
Also: NAACP at Burning Man
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-4-2019 Sparks Tribune

Nevadian Dennis Myers: The Greatest Of All Time
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 8-28-2019 Sparks Tribune

Dennis Myers, 1948-2019
OBITUARY for recipient of the Branch's highest honor
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Special Internet Edition 8-25 and 8-26-2019

Save the Date: 74th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet Saturday Oct. 19, 2019
Same prices as last year. Souvenir program ad deadline Oct. 1, 2019.

In hoc signo vinces.

Reno-Sparks NAACP executive committee and general membership meetings
Second Thursday of each month
Northern Nevada Hopes
Third Floor Community Room
580 W. 5th Street @ Ralston * Reno, NV 89503
Executive Committee 6:00 p.m.
General Membership 7:00 p.m.
Next meeting: August 8, 2019

BREAKING NEWS AND THEN SOME—>

Guns and roses, traitors & political poses
Reno-Sparks NAACP President wants Nevada Confederate mountain renamed
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 8-7-2019 Sparks Tribune

TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM — New York Times front page headline 8-6-2019 BARBWIRE TRANSLATION: "You provide the unity, I'll provide the racism"

Coming in Wednesday's Sparks Tribune: Guns and roses, traitors and political poses

President Lonnie Feemster: Rename Nevada's Jeff Davis Peak
By Nicholas Brulliard / Summer 2019 edition / National Parks Magazine
The official publication of the National Parks Conservation Association, founded 1919

Historical Black Colleges and Universities Tour 2019 No Opportunity Wasted (NOW) is gearing up for its 9th College Prep Program to culminate with the HBCU Tour. The program kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, August 31 at the University of Nevada-Reno Rotunda in the Knowledge Center (nee library) with guest speakers and light refreshments. Please sign up by contacting Barbara Bolton, Co-Founder/Executive Director, NOW, Inc. (702) 289-6050. Please click here to register for the program kickoff.

July 28: Happy Birthday Senator Joe Neal.

Reno City Council passes rent control
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-17-2019 Sparks Tribune

Racism Comes Out of the Closet
By Nobel Prize Winner Paul Krugman / nytimes.com 7-15 / The New York Times 7-16-2019

SUMMER SCHOOL HEAT BREAKING NEWS AND THEN SOME—>Updated 8-1-2019 The Sting, spike heels, green eggs & ham Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-31-2019 Sparks Tribune News Roundup: Nevada Corporate Welfare Tax Giveaways Starve Schools A cuckoo coup and a president, too Barbwire exclusive: Secret 2017 meeting set the setup in motion "The firing of Traci Davis was nothing short of a long-term, well-orchestrated coup." Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-24-2019 Sparks Tribune Washoe County School Board fires superintendent after 6-1 vote By Kayla Anderson / Sparks Tribune 7-3-2019 [July 1, 2019] — Reno Sparks NAACP President Lonnie Feemster observes Traci Davis speaking to reporters after her termination. [Photo: John Byrne, Sparks Tribune]       Reno News & Review Traci Davis Trilogy Reno's alternative weekly newspaper makes criticism unanimous among major local print media Board of Bunglers: School board fails to make case against Davis Reno News & Review Editorial / 7-11-2019 No one came off looking good in l'Affaire Davis Telenovela Censoring and barring outstanding N. Valleys High School valedictorian subsumed by board bickering Former State Sen. Sheila Leslie / Reno News & Review 7-11-2019 Now what? Interview with interim school board boss Sparks Tribune Barbwire and This is Reno website decry Davis debacle By Dennis Myers / Reno News & Review 7-11-2019   We Don't Need No Education Part LXXXIX—> Alfred E. Neuman for Washoe school superintendent Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-10-2019 Sparks Tribune Witness at the execution: School superintendent fired 6-1 Meet the new boss, same as the old boss Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-3-2019 Sparks Tribune Gang banging on 9th Street Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Special Barbwire Confidential Extra Edition / 7-1-2019 NAACP investigating racism & discrimination at WCSD in light of allegations against School Superintendent Traci Davis: Vote on termination scheduled for July 1 Branch President Lonnie Feemster questions shutdown of school district administration building KRNV TV-4 / KRXI TV-11 / 6-27-2019 Tales out of school: Time to change the ground rules "The Traci Davis matter is proof positive that demonizing one school board and replacing it with another is no way to conduct public affairs....There was no excuse for the district’s behavior...." Reno News & Review Editorial / 6-27-2019 School district shuts down central offices to foil Davis return Employees given two days off with pay KRNV TV-4 / KRXI TV-11 / 6-26-2019 Taxpayers pay for two days off after shutdown of school district central admin building for vague reasons (Traci Davis was out of town) By Siobhan McAndrew / Reno Gazette-Journal 6-26-2019 MayDay for renters, movie fans and avengers Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 5-1-2019 Sparks Tribune

Breaking News —> Former Branch President Recovering from Kidney Transplant Surgery Salt Lake City, UT (June 18) — Former Reno-Sparks Branch president (1997-98) and current executive committee member Kenneth B. Dalton remains hospitalized in Salt Lake City after successful kidney transplant surgery. He is a retired Reno firefighter. Current President Lonnie Feemster spoke with Mr. Dalton on June 18. "I let him know of the many inquiries of concern for him and his condition. He was moved by the outpouring of love and expressed his sincere appreciation," Mr. Feemster stated. "He was in good spirits and is recuperating well," he added. Watch this space for updates and keep him in your prayers. UPDATE June 25, 2019 8:44:33 AM PDT — FROM KENNY VIA SHAYNE DEL COHEN: "DOING GREAT — Hey SHAYNE. I just got back from 1.9 mile walk." From: Ken Dalton To: <barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us> Subject: Humbled Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2019 23:18:05 Hey Andy I am doing well and building up my strength every day so I can get home as soon as possible. I am humbled by the community’s concern with my recuperation. Hope to be home soon. Thank you, Kenny Photo array courtesy of Our Story, Inc., Mr. Dalton's highly honored non-profit television project chronicling the history of African Americans in Nevada.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY: NAACP LEADER SLAIN IN JACKSON — PROTESTS MOUNT 13 June 1963 (The New York Times) — A day after President Kennedy asked all citizens to take up the cause of civil rights, Medgar Evers, Mississippi Field Secretary for the NAACP, was assassinated in front of his home. Myrlie Evers, his wife, told protestors that night that "her husband had spoken of death last Sunday and said he was ready to go," The Times reported. Byron De La Beckwith was finally convicted of the murder three decades later.

NAACP President Lonnie Feemster responds to Sen. Ira Hansen's slavery comments
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 4-24-2019 Sparks Tribune

Politics does not reward the shy
Rent justification and a death penalty for corporate depredation
UPDATE: Fairness for tenants dies 4-12 unless lawmakers throw it a lifeline
Barbwire by Andres Luis Barbáno / Expanded from the 4-10-2019 Sparks Tribune

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY: On April 9, 1939, world-renowned contralto Marian Anderson performed before an audience of 75,000 in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. She had been banned from Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution because of her skin color. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt promptly quit the DAR (many others followed) and arranged for her to sing in front of the statue of President Lincoln. U.S. Dept. of Interior Secretary Harold Ickx addressed the crowd. Her performance included "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria." Legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini called her voice "one that comes along every hundred years." A film of the event was circulated to U.S. public schools in the early 1950's...On April 9, 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was laid to rest in Atlanta, Georgia. Per King's request, his good friend Mahalia Jackson sang his favorite hymn, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord."

HISTORY IN THE MAKING Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak delivered the keynote address at César Chávez Celebration XVII 3-27-2019. Reno-Sparks NAACP President Lonnie Feemster introduced the governor.

His own Man: Nevada Legislature learned to work with a black senator
By Dennis Myers / Reno News & Review 2-21-2019 / Review of "The Westside Slugger: Joe Neal's lifelong fight for social justice"
Clarification about the review: In 2003, Sen. Neal won passage of an increase in Nevada's gambling tax on the state's largest, most profitable casinos.
It has not risen since he retired in 2004.
Sen. Neal and author John L. Smith will autograph copies on March 27 at César Chávez XVII at the Grand Sierra-Reno.

The event will pay tribute to the memory of NAACP matriarch and former president Dolores Feemster, who died in 2018, as well as to former Nevada Attorney General and Chief Justice Charles Springer, who died on Feb. 19. Springer stands with the giants for his lifelong advocacy of all aspects of human rights (civil rights, minority rights, women's rights, workers' rights). Sen. Neal, D-N. Las Vegas (ret.), will lead a tribute to his fellow César Chávez NevadaLabor.com Hall of Famerand legislative colleague Assemblymember Bob Price (IBEW 357/AFL-CIO), D-N. Las Vegas (ret.), who passed away on January 4, 2019.

The Reno-Sparks Branch will sign up new members and register voters, as usual.

Hot off the press: "The Westside Slugger" The life and times biography of Joseph M. Neal, Jr. Nevada's first African-American senator By Nevada Press Association Hall of Famer John L. Smith Published in January 2019 by the University of Nevada Press

2019 Black History Archive

54 Years Ago This Week March 22, 1965 — Two weeks after Martin Luther King's first attempt to lead a march from Selma, Ala., was routed on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a new processsion started for Montgomery. This time, protected by federal troops, the group walked seven miles on the first day of their journey to deliver a civil rights petition to the capital. "The Alabama march appears destined for a niche in the annals of great protest demonstrations," The New York Times reported. — From The New York Times 3-22-2019

Womens' History Month: Alice Lucretia Smith, 1902-1990
Nevada Womens' History Project honors branch founder and former president
By Kay Sanders / Reno Gazette-Journal / Sunday 3-24-2019

Trump's Wall: First step toward ending Nixon's War on Drugs
"Our for-profit prisons overflow with mostly black and brown people convicted of dastardly crimes like possession of two ounces of the Demon Weed."
Barbwire by Andres Luis Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-20-2019 Sparks Tribune

BLACK LIKE ME 2119: The problem as solution
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-13-2019 Sparks Tribune

Courage and repression: Black history has lessons for us all
By Dennis Myers / Reno News & Review cover story 2-7-14

Reno-Sparks NAACP Commemorates "Great White Hope" Fight of the Century

Sands of time blast the milestones of life Nevada MLK weekend events announced NAACP Matriarch Dolores Feemster (1929-2018) will be honored at annual MLK dinner in Reno Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-16-2019 Sparks Tribune Dolores Feemster 1929-2018

Hall of Fame Nevada Assemblymember Bob Price Dies

Hot off the press: "The Westside Slugger" The life and times biography of Joseph M. Neal, Jr. Nevada's first African-American senator By Nevada Press Association Hall of Famer John L. Smith Published in January 2019 by the University of Nevada Press

January 8, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Lonnie L. Feemster (775) 722-0042 NAACP Reno-Sparks Branch No. 1112 <lonnielfeemster@netscape.net> Andrew Barbano (775) 786-1455 <barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us> RenoSparksNAACP.org A New Season of Community Consensus and Census Reno-Sparks NAACP Swears in New President Thursday Installation of officers, 2019-2020 goal-setting RENO, Nev. — Lonnie L. Feemster will be sworn in to his record-breaking fifth non-consecutive two-year term as president of the Reno-Sparks NAACP this Thursday, January 10. Other newly-elected officers not previously inducted will also be installed. He succeeds Patricia Y. Gallimore who served two terms, 2014-2018. Lonnie L. Feemster "I am committed to build on the strong foundation laid by those who have served the Reno-Sparks NAACP over the years," Feemster said. "We had a very active and successful 2018 and thanks to the efforts of all involved, the Reno-Sparks Branch now enjoys the highest visibility in its 74-year history," he added. "We will use 2019 to ramp up our community outreach programs as the 2020 election season and U.S. Census approach," Feemster stated. He served as a statewide community outreach specialist in the 2000 and 2010 census campaigns. "The NAACP has mentored many young adults over the years and I will bring some into leadership roles in the local branch. We will continue to provide scholarships, positive learning experiences and leadership development as part of our NAACP Youth Council activities," Feemster noted. "The Reno-Sparks NAACP will continue and increase our work to collaborate with our school district, local governments, law enforcement and the corporate community in Northern Nevada. We will also monitor legislation and work with other organizations in the upcoming session of the Nevada Legislature. "We strongly support professional development training and a proactive approach to the elimination of racial bias and all aspects of racial discrimination in our community," Feemster stated. He noted with concern a recent increase in the number of civil rights complaints being reported to the Branch Legal Redress Committee. Lonnie L. Feemster is a local real estate broker, Nevada State Director of the NAACP National Voter Fund and Vice-President of the NAACP Idaho/Nevada/Utah Tri-State Conference of Branches. A complete list of elected officers and executive committee members appears hereinbelow. The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. The membership meets on the second Thursday of each month in the Third Floor Community Room of Northern Nevada Hopes, 580 W. 5th Street @ Ralston, Reno 89503. The Executive Committee convenes at 6:30 p.m. and the general membership meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. SIGN UP TO BECOME A MEMBER TODAY 2019-2020 OFFICERS Lonnie L. Feemster, President Andrew L. Barbano, First Vice-President Patricia Y. Gallimore, Second Vice-President Donald Gallimore, Sr., Third Vice-President Cheryl (Cheri) Vocelka, Secretary Ms. CJ Miller, Assistant Secretary Stephanie McCurry, Treasurer Shannon Gallimore, Assistant Treasurer EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Lucille Adin, Twice Past-President Ken Dalton, Past-President* Norris Dupree, Jr., Ph.D. Duane Foster Terrell Foster, Ph.D. Toni Harris Dorothy Ingraham Adrian Lowry Jane Moon Bertha Mullins Joyce Newman Wendell Newman Janet Serial Nnedi Stephens John Aaron White, Esq. Ambassador Victor Wowo, Sr. *Former President Dalton was recently appointed to the City of Reno Civil Service Commission upon which former Branch President William Moon (1932-2017) served with distinction. -30-

Hope you & yours enjoyed Happy High Holly Days
Merry Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Festivus/Chanukah
Hope you and yours also experienced enthralling Thanksgibleting.
HAPPY NEW YEAR / Feliz Año Nuevo / Felice Anno Nuovo
Frohe Weihnachten und beste Wuensche fuer 2019

More stupid signs of our republic's decline
Barbwire by Andrea Luigi Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-2-2019 Sparks Tribune

Crystal Balls: Peerless Predixions 2019 & Beyond
Barbwire by Andrea Luigi Barbáno/ Expanded from the 12-26-2018 Sparks Tribune

Yerington racism case settled

Dolores Feemster 1929-2018

Latest Klannish Nevada racism reports

Darryl K. Feemster, Sr., 1962-2017

Site map

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Words of Wisdom—>

Voter Registration: The best method yet devised to prevent citizens from voting
Dennis Myers / Reno News & Review cover story 4-7-2016
Reno-Sparks NAACP Voting Rights Archives

"America fought the Civil War to end forced, unpaid labor and this country still suffers from the bitter after-effects." — Mike Pilcher, President, Northern Nevada Central Labor Council/AFL-CIO     "We discovered fossil fuels which allowed us to replace slavery with fossil fuels. That's what China and India and other countries want to do now. But if they do it the way we did, we're all going down together." — Environmentalist Bill McKibben, former head of NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies, Rolling Stone Magazine, 12 Jan. 2017

"You can say there's no such thing as slavery, we're all citizens. But if we're all citizens, then we have a task to do to make sure that that, too, is not a joke. If some citizens live in houses and others live on the street, the Civil War is still going on. It's still to be fought and regrettably, it can still be lost."

— Dr. Barbara Fields featured on Ken Burns' The Civil War miniseries, PBS 1990

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE ENGAGING PAYPAL

Dear Friends: When you get into PayPal, you may use the "send instructions to the seller" prompt to inform us exactly what your donation covers. You may use the secure PayPal link below for Freedom Fund Dinner reservations, Reno-Sparks NAACP memberships and general donations. Some people purchasing dinner reservations or memberships have been confused by the world "DONATE" on the PayPal button. (That was the most generic option they offered.) Not to worry. Just do it. We have no bureaucracy. Should you encounter any problems, please notify us right away or call (775) 786-1455. Thanks so much for your continued support. — Andrew Barbano, First VP

Membership
Annual Dues: $30 for individuals
Please make checks payable to
NAACP Reno-Sparks Branch No. 1112
P.O. Box 7757
Reno, NV 89510

Membership Forms, choose format: .jpg or .pdf

Please click here or call 775-322-2992 for additional membership and sponsorship information.
Youth membership and corporate sponsorships are also available.