Fort Wayne NAACP members vote on New President

According to Indana's Newscenter. the poll to officially elect Reverend Bill McGill as president of Fort Wayne-Allen County NAACP #3049 opened November 17, 2008. Rev. McGilll and other officers are running unopposed and will take office in January.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - The polls are open at the local NAACP chapter, where a new president will be elected today.
Reverend Bill McGill will be the next president, since he is running unopposed for the right to replace Reverend Michael Latham. Latham resigned recently after serving as president for the past 8 years.

The news report juxtaposed that some leaders Rev. McGill running unopposed the same as overwhelming community support. "It is uncommon for there to be only 1 person running for president, but leaders say no one stepped forward to oppose Bill McGill, who has the support of some community leaders," according to the report.

Somewhat of a stretch in this faulty analysis of the outcome or some folks speaking without thinking. Some fearless leaders may have misspoke or may themselves believe they are members when in fact their membership may not be current. This would make them unqualified to hold office or even ineligible to vote for Rev. McGill.

When in fact,more plausible explanations tells the story. For example, it could be NAACP members may not have fully understanding their membership must be renewed yearly. Members failure to renew their annual $30 membership will disqualify a member from holding a position in the organization. Some membership believe the one time payment of $30 membership entitles them to a lifetime membership privileges.


Another reason could be simply some members may not know the procedure for running to become an officer. When members can receive reliable information about their membership or can be directed to someone who can provide them with accurate information, this will provide more confidence in the leadership.

It's the little things and lack of knowledge that harm the African-American community. The lesson from the lesson from the Senator Barack Obama election is that African-American community no longer settle for either or but follow the path of destiny. In doing so we no longer just quietly listen to the unwise voices leading us down the path of hell.


Informing members on how their membership works and how to participate in the election of their leaders will motivate and encourage others to participate in the outcome of leadership. This will reduce the amount of disinterest in the organization and unwillingness to support selected leadership rather than elected leadership.


The national NAACP membership has kickoff its 100 years celebration with a membership drive. Former members and current members should check to see when and if their membership either expired or the date of their membership expiration.