NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE
NORTH CAROLINA STATE CONFERENCE
114 W. Parrish Street, Second Floor * Durham, North Carolina 27701
866-626-2227 * 919-682-4700 * FAX 919-682-4711
www.naacpnc.org www.ncprosecutorialmisconduct.com www.hkonj.com
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II President Amina J. Turner Executive Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 NOVEMBER 2009
Contact: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137
Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Exec. Dir., 919-682-4700
MEDIA ADVISORY
NAACP TO FILE FEDERAL TITLE VI COMPLAINT
AGAINST WAYNE COUNTY (NC) PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
WHO: STATE NAACP PRESIDENT, REV. DR. WILLIAM J. BARBER, II, ATTY. AL MCSURELY, ATTY. IRV JOYNER, LEGAL REDRESS CHAIR, MS. SYLVIA BARNES, GOLDSBORO-WAYNE NAACP BRANCH IN CONJUNCTION WITH NATIONAL NAACP LEGAL DEPARTMENT
WHAT: PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING TITLE VI COMPLAINT
WHEN: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2009 AT 9:00 AM
WHERE: SIDEWALK, NC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
301 NORTH WILMINGTON STREET, RALEIGH, NC 27601
NAACP will file a federal Title VI Complaint on behalf of all children assigned to the Wayne County Public School System (Goldsboro, NC) who are deprived of a constitutional education by the policies and practices that adversely impact particularly African American and other students of color. Specifically, the practices complained of within the complaint have and, if not reversed, will continue to result in:
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Lower graduation rates for African Americans and other students of color;
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Higher drop out rates for African Americans and other students of color;
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Higher suspension rates for African Americans and other students of color;
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More and meaner discipline for African Americans and other students of color;
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Lower grade point averages for African Americans and other students of color;
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Lower college entrance rates for African Americans and other students of color;
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Lower college ambition rates for African Americans and other students of color;
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Lower gifted and talented participation by African Americans and other students of color;
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Higher placement of students of color in “special” self-contained classrooms; and
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And other well-recognized indices of structural and individual racially discriminatory school practices.
According to State President, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, “We are filing this complaint because in 2009—55 years after Brown v Board of Education—the Wayne County Public School System has not only had a high school (Goldsboro High School) cited as failing to meet the standards of our [state] constitution, but is operating an attendance district that is virtually 100% resegregated, failing to provide adequate education to the students therein and we believe is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s Title VI.”
NAACP is filing the complaint simultaneously with the Office of Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education, and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice on the 54TH Anniversary of Rosa Park’s challenge to Jim Crow when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama that led to the modern day civil rights movement.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination by government agencies that receive federal funding. If any agency is found in violation, it can lose its federal funding.
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors. For more information, call the State Office at 866-626-2227 or e-mail us at execdirnaacpnc@gmail.com. ###
