Director's Message


Floyd May


In September of 2011 The Nation celebrated the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the banks of the Tidal Basin between the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials.

We are now awaiting the building of The National Museum of African American History and Culture dedicated to telling the stories and celebrating the achievements of African American heroes from all walks of Life.

This museum will include major exhibitions on slavery, Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement, and commemorate many other historical events about African American History and Culture.

This Museum will be located among the other Smithsonian museums on the National Mall occupying a five acre site adjacent to the Washington Monument. It is a fitting tribute to the countless number of African American's whose hands built the Nation's capital that this museum will be the last one built on the National Mall.

The United States Congress has agreed to provide half of the Museum's $500 million cost. The additional $250 million dollars needed to complete the building of the Museum must be raised from private donations. We encourage all members and supporters of Noaah to contribute to this history about us. You may send your donations to:

The National Museum of African American and Culture PO. Box 96832, Washington DC 20090-6832

Remember that Freedom is not Free.

Floyd O. May
Noaah Managing Director

We Are NOAAH!

 

NOAAH PRIORITIES FOR 2012

2012 promises to be a very exciting and challenging year for the nation as well as for NOAAH. The 2012 presidential election is months away. Once again the nation must determine what are the most pressing issues that both political parties must be accountable to address in the development of their agenda to lead the nation.
 
Recent national surveys show that 54 percent of the population polled believe that jobs and unemployment is the most important issue, while half of that total 27 percent, believe that "housing" is the most important issue.
 
As has been our practice in previous elections, NOAAH will be very aggressive in its interactions with both political parties to insure that the interests of people of color are included in the development of their policies.
 
    NOAAH has identified 10 organization priorities for 2012:
 
  • NOAAH Membership Drive
  • Voter Registration
  • Full Funding for Public Housing
  • Funding for Resident Service Activities
  • Ensuring that Residents are allowed to serve as Board Members on PHA Boards
  • Advocate for the establishment of Statutory as well as regulatory authority for Section 3
  • The development of a universal resident screening process for admission into public housing
  • Support for more PHAs to be given MTW status
  • Requiring community service for PHA residents
  • Mandatory Conversions
 
While we will devote our energy and resources to engage in all 10 of these priorities, the first 2 priorities: NOAAH Membership Drive and Voter registration will be our most significant focus.
We  encourage you to visit the NOAAH website frequently to obtain critical information and updates regarding NOAAH activities and accomplishments. As we go forward to accomplish this year's work plan, we need your committment as Noaah members to:

 
I want to wish you a very happy and blessed 2012 New Year.
— Floyd O. May, Noaah Managing Director

Click to view photos from the conference.  For more information on the conference photos, you may contact Cheriss at cheriss@cherissmay.com