Here’s an inside look at our efforts in the community!

NC State Conference President Deborah Maxwell and our Environmental Justice Chair Jessica Thomas attended the DEQ stakeholders meeting in Raleigh, where critical updates were shared on the rulemaking process for animal waste management general permits.

Together, they both raised concerns about public health, the integrity of the public comment process, the ongoing threats to North Carolina’s water quality, and strategized ways to better engage and empower our state conference in this fight.

Our environmental justice team was onsite at The Sick and Tired Black Maternal Health and Community Baby Shower event on April 12th at KEMBA. The event was hosted by Shackle Free Community Outreach and Black Voters Matter. We had a booth where we educated the community about our Resilient Roots Initiative, the status of the quality of our natural water sources in Duplin County, and giving out goodies and free water testing kits.

Our environmental justice team was on site at the Ecoblast event at Cowan Museum on April 11th. The event was all about saving and protecting the planet, so what better time to have our Resilient Roots team onsite educating the committee about how manufacturing affects our natural water sources.

The NC Black Alliance hosted Two Sides of the Same Coin in Raleigh on March 26th. Two of our environmental justice committee members attended to represent our county.

On March 21, 2026, we hosted a Health & Wellness Drop-In event through a partnership with the Mary J. Hooper Hope and Wellness Drop-In Center. We had several free on-site resources such as: health Screenings and nutritional counseling by Novant Health, financial literacy consults from Marine Federal Credit Union, mental health support from Trillium Health and Mary J. Hooper Center, dental health resources from Gillam Dentistry, insurance consults with Amerihealth Caritas, and free water testing kits and voter registration forms were provided by our environmental justice committee.

We joined the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority chapter at their candidates forum on February 8, 2026 at James Sprunt Community College. Other partners included Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority There were 11 candidates who showed up, and the forum was very informative. JSCC President Dr. Shannon Hair came by and said a few words.

On February 8, 2026 we celebrated the 117th Birthday of the NAACP at the First Baptist Church of Warsaw, NC. Our Keynote speaker was Dr. Raymond Smith Jr. who spoke on the topic of, “Get Up Just One More Time”. During his speech he talked about the importance of voting and why it’s important to teach the youth about politics, black history and the history of America so that they understand why it is important to use our vote and our voice.

Our annual event to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During the event we incorporated students to do presentations on various topics related to Dr. King and current issues. Our Keynote Speaker was NC Democratic House Leader Robert Reives II. Our 5 scholarship winners and their families were recognized during the event. There were special performances by Minister Avis Baker and the Diversity Nurtures Achievement (DNA) Choir.

The 2025 NAACP Executive Committee Retreat was held on November 22nd at James Sprunt Community College in the Zettie B. Williams Building. NC NAACP 1st Vice President Courtney Patterson led a workshop about each committee’s role, we did a team building activity, and all of our committee chairs presented their ideas for 2026. It was a very productive day

We partnered with the North Carolina Disaster Recovery and Resilience Network (NCDRRN) and the North Carolina Conservation Network (NCCN) to screen The Smell of Money in Duplin County. We also hosted an impactful community conversation after the film. We are looking forward to hosting more environmental justice films in the future. Keep checking our website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay in touch with our upcoming events.

A national initiative to raise money for scholarships and honor local heroes in our community. The Keynote speaker was Justice Anita Earls who spoke on the 2025 National NAACP theme, “The Fierce Urgency of Now”. Honorees were: Melvin Felton, Living Legend Award | Duplin County Commissioner Wayne Branch, Civic Engagement Community Service Award | Marzella Morrisey, Environmental Justice Award | Jessica Thomas, Trailblazer Award | Y’Keisha Parker, Game Changer Award | The late Delilah Gomes, Legacy of Excellence Posthumous Award | Betty Smith, Windsor Johnson President’s Award | Tanya Smith, Special Recognition

President James Smith was honored at the Pender County Freedom Fund Banquet where he received the President’s Award for his support to the Pender County Chapter.

Several of our branch members traveled to Charlotte, NC, to attend the 116th NAACP National Convention. We discussed everything from politics, energy, empoweing the youth, staying up to date with AI, mobilizing our communities, and so much more. Our delegates represented Duplin County well.

The theme was "The Fierce Urgency of NOW".

Our annual event to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During the event we incorporated students to do a presentation on what Dr. King means to them. We recognized them by giving them certificates. Our Keynote Speaker was Deputy Director of North Carolina Black Alliance Marcus Bass. Our 5 scholarship winners and their families were recognized during the event. Scholarship winners include: Zaniya Boney, Genyla Miller, Velaja Wallace, Malcolm Boney, and Trustine Vu.

A national initiative to raise money for scholarships and honor local heroes in our community. The Keynote speaker was James Faison III. Honorees were: Willie Gillespie, Living Legend Award | Attorney Niccoya Dobson, Civic Engagement Community Service Award | Devon Hall Sr., Environmental Justice Award | Michael Maddox, Trailblazer Award | Earlean Rivers, Game Changer Award | The late Emma Masquil, Legacy of Excellence Posthumous Award | Robert Moore, Windsor Johnson President’s Award

Our 1st Voter Registration Community Kickball Tournament was held in Chinquapin, NC on September 28th. Two teams participated, and Team Cash were the Champions.

On February 11, 2024 we celebratated our 115th branch anniversary at the KEMBA Building in Warsaw. Our Keynote speaker was Chandra Taylor Sawyer, Attorney at the Southern Environment Law Center (SELC).