Could the nation's oldest and largest civil rights group be going green?
The NAACP has announced it plans to unveil environmental priorities when its 101st annual convention begins Saturday (July 10) in Kansas City, Mo. There'll be a workshop during the six-day gathering on the environmental and economic impacts of climate change on communities of color. The group also is promising a "major announcement" on the Gulf coast.
"Our communities are disproportionately affected by global climate change," said NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous (pictured above at last year's convention). "We envision advocating for a clean environment as a key part of a civil and human rights agenda."
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, the agency's first African-American leader, is expected to be on hand. Convention go-ers also will be able to apply there for green jobs, as NAACP leaders intend to push "green enterprise," pairing economic development with environmental protection.
(2009 AP Photo)