19
Nov
2012
Who:
Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP; Kameron Middlebrooks, NAACP Midwestern Regional Director; Dedric Doolin, National Board Member; Arnold Woods, Iowa and Nebraska State Conference President; Members and Leadership from Iowa NAACP Branches
What:
President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous, leadership from the Iowa State Conference and Iowa NAACP branches, will meet with Governor Terry Branstad on Monday to discuss Iowa's felony disenfranchisement structure, as well as other key issues affecting Iowa's African American population?including, Iowa prison disparities and employment practices within the state government.
All attendees will be available to speak with members of the press after the meeting and during the press conference.
The NAACP Restore the Votes Campaign aims to restore the rights for millions of citizens formerly convicted of felonies. Currently, more than 4.4 million citizens who are no longer incarcerated are disenfranchised
In 2011, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad reinstated felony disenfranchisement restrictions that former Governor Tom Vilsack eliminated in 2005. Since 2011, an estimated 8,000 former offenders have been released and only 12 of those citizens have been able to restore their rights.
The NAACP felony disenfranchisement campaign was launched in October following the NAACP's delegation at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. As part of the visit, the delegation held a panel discussion on felony disenfranchisement and the attack on voting rights in states across the nation.
When:
November 19, 2012
12:00 pm
Where:
Iowa State Capitol Building
Supreme Court Consultation Room
1007 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA
All meeting attendees will be available to speak with members of the press during the press conference.
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.
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