On February 21st, President Nelson Linder will be the keynote speaker at Fulmore Middle School's Civic Engagement Symposium. Fulmore's eighth graders have spent the year researching a civic issue and engaging with the community to affect change. Linder will have the honor of speaking on the topic of "What makes a good citizen?" to conclude their capstone project. The symposium will occur at 9:45am at the University of Texas Law School.

The NAACP Austin Branch is proud to announce Nelson Linder's upcoming award. Austin Community College Office of Equity and Inclusion's I.D.E.A.L. Center will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Linder at it's Second Annual Equity Summit. The event will be held at ACC's Eastview Campus on February 9th at 8:30am.

We hope you all will attend! 

Yesterday, President Linder convened with community members at the Simpson United Methodist Church to incite political mobilization as we approach the upcoming elections, beginning on February 20th.

Yannis Banks, from CapMetro, was also in attendance at yesterday's meeting. He supported Linder's request for more community voices speaking up for matters of importance. Specifically, Banks highlighted how members could get involved in addressing Austin's transportation problems.

Banks introduced CapMetro's Project Connect initiative. CapMetro's goal is to provide equitable transportation, using raised platforms, bus lanes, light rail, and/or underground transit, by reaching out to the community throughout its planning process from now until October 2018.

To conclude yesterday's meeting, Linder thanked Banks and reiterated the importance of community involvement throughout the year, and especially during the election season. He asked attendees, "Who knows who the county attorney is? The district attorney? If you're not paying attention to these people, they're not paying attention to you."

If the people lead, the leaders will follow. It's time to start getting involved.

For pictures from the event, click here.

For full text article on KVUE, click here.

 On Thursday, January 11, NAACP President Nelson Linder addressed the need to eradicate police misconduct at the East Waco Library event, "Minimum Force Necessary." Linder highlighted the importance of involving city councils, commissioner courts, civilian oversight, police chiefs, unions, and district attorneys to support local policies that have zero tolerance for misconduct. 

Linder also explained that "Minimum Force Necessary" is predicated on grand juries understanding state Penal codes and district attorneys widening the scope of investigations beyond certain state penal codes. Such penal codes embrace objectionable reasonable standards that allow law enforcement broad protections when the use of force is employed.

Retired Major from the Travis County Sheriff's Department, Mark Sawa, agreed with Linder's sentiments. Sawa addressed the importance of additional training for law enforcement to ensure improved communication and techniques for conflict resolution. Sawa is currently conducting trainings around the nation in police departments, but more people are needed to educate law enforcement on maintaining safety for all involved in conflict.

Moving forward, Linder plans to join Sawa's efforts to improve communication between law enforcement and the communities it serves.

For full text of article on the national NAACP website, click here.