NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Before city police acquire new surveillance equipment like drones and gunshot detection technology, NAACP Grand Rapids officials want the community to have greater say on the purchases and more transparency on how it will impact their civil rights. That policy, adopted in 2015, requires city departments intending to obtain new surveillance equipment or services to seek approval from the Grand Rapids City Commission. The NAACP has presented their recommendations to Grand Rapids officials, who have expressed interest so far in clarifying or removing the exigent circumstances clause, said Kareem Scales, administrator of operations and youth advisor for NAACP Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids was allocated $92.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan dollars, with about half of the funds already received and the remainder coming later. Gayle Harvey, secretary of NAACP Grand Rapids, spoke on the variety of programs taking place at the center, as well as those NAACP is involved with.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Footwear company Wolverine has announced it will donate $250,000 to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of Greater Grand Rapids over the next five years. Wolverine, a division of Wolverine World Wide, made the announcement Thursday, Aug. 5. The donation will be used to “support the next generation of skilled trades people and building awareness for the great career options in the trades,” according to a news release from Wolverine. “Our partnership with NAACPGR and YouthBuild allows us to support a more diverse future workforce.”YouthBuild is a national skilled trades program, according to a news release. Wolverine and NAACP officials attended a graduation ceremony for YouthBuild students Thursday at the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation who earned trade certificates.

Some prominent liberal groups, including Black Lives Matter and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), haven't weighed in on the "Uncle Tim" Twitter insults lobbed at Sen. Tim Scott Wednesday night.

DETROIT – The Wayne County Board of Canvassers unanimously voted to certify the November election results Tuesday and asked the Michigan Secretary of State to conduct an audit of any Wayne County precincts with unexplained mismatching vote totals. A Board of Canvassers meeting was scheduled Wednesday, but sources claim it has been postponed until Monday. Initially, the Wayne County Board of Canvassers had two Republican and two Democrat members deadlocked on the vote to certify the election results in Wayne County. After the board agreed that they wanted to have an audit of the election, the Republicans -- Monica Palmer and William Hartmann -- voted to actually certify the Wayne County election. Detroit had the same issue in the August primary, but the board voted to certify the results then.

DETROIT – Community organizers celebrated historic voter turnout in Detroit. “At this historical moment, the voters have made it clear that they want a country that works for all people. They want a country that is not broken by racism and bigotry," the statement reads in part. Dr. Wendell Anthony, President of the NAACP Detroit Chapter. Ask Joe Biden and Kamala Harris if it matters.”Beyond the turnout, the projected victory of vice president-elect Harris is monumental.

DETROIT – A viral Facebook post claiming the NAACP received information that white nationalists and neo-Nazis were planning violent attacks on people of color is false, the organization claims. The social media message received traction online and caught the attention of law enforcement officials. The NAACP said the message did not come from them and that they had not received any credible threats. Dr. Wendell Anthony, President of the NAACP Detroit Chapter. He said people started calling the Detroit branch, concerned about the potential of violence from white supremacists.

DETROIT - A federal judge in Washington issued an emergency order on Election Day to rush undelivered ballots to poll locations in cities including Detroit. The initial court order stems from a lawsuit filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People against the USPS. Plaintiffs requested a status report of inbound ballots to Detroit, but Sullivan only ordered a general status update for all the regions listed. Read more: Absentee ballots delayed in mail can’t be counted, court rulesMore absentee ballots continued to flow in Tuesday, as they can be returned to clerk’s offices or drop boxes anytime before 8 p.m. Tuesday. About 3.5 million absentee ballots were issued to voters.

You gotta vote the whole ballot,” said Wendell Anthony, president of the NAACP Detroit Chapter. Detroit’s NAACP will begin neighborhood canvassing to register voters who haven’t taken the time or interest in the election. Shake the bushes to let them know they are important,” he added. “People need to understand that their vote is still very important. The group’s message is not only for you to be registered, but to reach out to people who are not, and get them to register to vote.

DETROIT Increasing Black voter turnout this November is the goal of a new campaign launched by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The NAACP, we have launched a voter engagement program to assure we increase voter turnout for this election cycle, said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. Johnson said that goal is why they started a multi-million dollar advertisement campaign called Black Voices Change Lives. The campaign focuses on six battleground states and Michigan is one of them. Weve seen, for the first time in 20 years, a downturn in Black voter participation. The goal is to increase Black voter turnout at the polls in November by 5 percent compared to 2016.

Monroe civil rights group meets with senator to discuss forgiveness, need for education. While Zorn apologized for his judgment error, the NAACP said it hopes the lawmaker soon will back his words of forgiveness with restorative action, according to Deacon William Parker, group president. In a letter sent to the senator, the NAACP called for Zorn to resign or be censured by the Michigan Senate. Parker said Monroes NAACP is expected to meet this week to debrief on its meeting with the senator. I left (Zorn) with this: As Christians, we both understand there is a way that we ask for forgiveness, but I explained words without actions are just that, words, Parker said.

That was Deacon William Parkers message for the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) MLK Jr. Day Prayer Service held Monday afternoon at the Motherhouse chapel. It has to be everyone working together. Monday was MLK Day, a federal holiday honoring the life and legacy of the influential American civil rights leader and minister. He dedicated his life to eradicating racism, promoting nonviolence and seeking peace. 'Environmental racism is a sin, and like all other sins, it cannot be overcome by human strength of resolve alone,' said Richard Deloof during the program. ' Only through the power of Christ whose death models forgiveness and reconciliation, will we be able to combat environmental racism.

Rebecca Cook | ReutersSen. Kamala Harris released a health-care plan on Monday that will transition every American into her version of a "Medicare for All" system within 10 years. Harris' plan raises the earnings threshold to $100,000. Let's not lose sight that we have a Medicare system that's already working," Harris wrote in the plan, which was posted to the blogging platform Medium. In comparison, the transition period proposed by Sanders is four years. Harris wrote that the longer transition period will lower the overall cost of the program.