GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Green Bay resident David Willson is leading an effort in the city to reestablish a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Northeast Wisconsin.
The effort is now gaining letters of support from other minority groups.
Wilson moved to Green Bay in 2019 from Beloit, Wisonsin, where he was involved with an NCAAP chapter. He tried to connect with the organization’s leaders in Green Bay—only to learn that there weren’t any.
“Green Bay has a population of 105,000 people, and for there not to be any advocacy for NAACP in this area, I said it was strange,” said Wilson.
North of Milwaukee, there are currently no NAACP chapters in the state. Now, Wilson is leading an effort to change that.
“It’s important to me because for one, I’m a minority,” said Sean Powless, manager of the Oneida Community Education Center.
Powless recently signed a letter of support for the Green Bay NAACP chapter.
Watch the full story by Jessica Goska here:
“I didn’t always have the resources available that other people may have,” Powless went on to say, “[And] inclusion, equity, education, workforce: those are all something that I feel should be available to all community members.”
Powless states that having a local NAACP chapter could advance opportunities for all minority groups.
While the chapter’s formation is not yet complete and its exact focus not yet solidified, Wilson shares that its aim would be to create equitable opportunities for all underserved communities—regardless of race.
“The NAACP can provide that umbrella for individuals or groups that just don’t have a place or have not been included or don’t have a voice here in Northeast Wisconsin,” said Wilson.
He added that the local branch will advocate for its members in sectors like education, health care and criminal justice.
As a father, that advocacy is personal to Wilson:
“I want everybody’s kids to have something to look forward to,” he said. “The outcome for me is that it’s better for them down the line.”
The next steps in the Green Bay NAACP chapter’s formation are collecting annual membership dues from at least 100 city residents and submitting a letter to the national NAACP office for the authority to establish a local branch.
