Springfield NAACP to hold virtual event, discuss potential chapter at Clark State

Denise Williams, president of the Springfield NAACP, leads the protesters in a chant during a demonstration last summer against racial injustice in the country. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Denise Williams, president of the Springfield NAACP, leads the protesters in a chant during a demonstration last summer against racial injustice in the country. She says officers wearing body cameras can help bring clarity to situations. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

The Springfield unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will be holding a virtual event Monday afternoon as it looks to establish a chapter at Clark State College.

The event will last for an hour and will start at 3:30. It is free to attend and will largely focus on local NAACP president Denise Williams sharing information about the history and agenda of the Springfield unit.

The conversation will also focus on plans to set up a student chapter at Clark State that will fall under the umbrella of the NAACP’s Springfield leadership.

There have been discussions since 2019 to establish a chapter there. However, the coronavirus pandemic has delayed those conversations and plans, Williams said.

The goal now is to have a chapter established on campus by the summer. The idea is that those student members would be in charge of dealing with issues on campus as well as looking at ways to resolve them.

“We want to get younger people involved and want to encourage them on and off the campus,” Williams said.

She added that students would be guided by the Springfield unit of the NAACP and that she would be offering them assistance.

The process to establish a chapter includes setting up a space, establishing leadership positions and following other protocols dictated by the NAACP.

Williams said leadership at Clark State has been extremely supportive of the idea and that she also hopes to establish a chapter at Wittenberg University.

“The most important thing to share with the students is that the NAACP is for everyone,” she added.

For more information regarding the event, visit Clark State’s website at www.clarkstate.edu.

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