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'Stay on task'

We must work together for everyone, governor tells NAACP

Robert C. Reed

The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, (left) and other NAACP delegates listen to N.C. Gov. Beverly Perdue during the 100th anniversary of the NAACP convention in Hickory on Friday morning.

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By Larry Clark | Hickory Daily Record

Published: October 10, 2009

HICKORY - Gov. Beverly Perdue exhorted delegates to the N.C. NAACP convention to prepare children for the future.

"In our new world, it is unacceptable that three of 10 freshmen don't graduate" from high school she said Friday.

Perdue addressed several hundred delegates observing the state NAACP's 100th anniversary at the Hickory Metro Convention Center.

"Every child must get an education so they can work anywhere in the world," Perdue said.

"I want you to walk that road with me" to give students the best education possible, she said.

"The schools can't do it alone. They need the involvement of the community and churches. Stay on task for your organization and North Carolina.

"We will work together" to move the children and education forward for everyone and "not just a few."

Education is at the top of the governor's agenda. She told delegates the economy will turn around and North Carolina will recover, but "everyone must share in the recovery ... everyone must be involved."

Perdue qualified her remarks by stressing cooperation and inclusion. If unity of purpose is not achieved, she said, "we won't have an economy for the next generation."

The governor received a warm welcome from the NAACP, an organization with which she has been allied throughout her career.

Her theme of laboring together for the causes of education, equality and opportunity was forecast in her introduction by the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, president of the N.C. NAACP.

He reminded Perdue and the convention that the NAACP "brings the agenda of the people."

When societal, economic and political disparities are closed, "it helps the entire state," Barber said.

He promised that when the NAACP and the state administration agree, the governor can count on the NAACP's unwavering support.

"And when we disagree, we will do so with dignity and respect," he said.

"Welcome to the house of justice, welcome to the house of the NAACP," Barber said as delegates applauded Perdue.

Perdue beamed as she told the convention, "This organization has transformed America. Without the NAACP, a lot of us wouldn't be where we are today," she said, including herself, North Carolina's first woman governor, in her comment.

"The strong partnership I have with you helped shape (my) priorities."

She noted North Carolina is the second state in the union to pass a racial justice act.

She mentioned a state program to reduce prison recidivism. "We must stop gangs in communities," she said. "We can't stop (gangs) in prison."

Perdue emphasized working aggressively to help the state emerge from recession, secure health care for all people, assist the homeless and involve more minority business owners in state contract services.

She castigated intolerance and praised the attitude that signifies "more giving, for sharing, more work" for justice and equality.

And Perdue promised access to government.

"Stay focused on the tasks ahead," she said.

"When I think about the future, I see how easily we can become complacent. We cannot ... everyone must share in the common destiny of the 21st century."