The Illinois State Conference of the NAACP will bring its 84th annual convention to Macomb. The event is scheduled to take place September 11-13, 2020.
Teresa Haley, who is in her third two-year term as president of the statewide group, said she expects at least 150 people to attend.
“We’re excited about it. We’re expecting membership from Cairo, Illinois all the way up to Chicago, from Macomb all the way over to Danville,” Haley said.
Haley came to Macomb recently to speak with members of the organization’s McDonough County branch.
Haley, who is also president of the NAACP’s Springfield branch, said people call every day with problems and concerns about injustice.
“I just make sure that we’re meeting the needs of our constituents in terms of civil rights,” she said. “We want to make sure that people know that there is an avenue for them to get the answers or the help that they need.”
She said the Macomb and state organizations are striving to retain members and recruit new ones. They are also focusing on this year’s elections. She said people “fought, bled, and died for us to be here” and said it’s important to register to vote and then to cast a ballot on Election Day.
Haley said the NAACP is also working to make sure everyone gets counted in this year’s census.
