'This is personal for me': Licking County's NAACP chapter reactivated

NEWARK - It's been several years since the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has been active in Licking County, but local leaders are working to reactivate the organization.

According to NAACP Licking County chapter President Bryanna Stigger, two of their board members are high school students who organized their own events following the death of George Floyd during an incident with Minneapolis police.

"Basically through community involvement and just seeing the need for awareness and to understand the issues that we're facing currently" is how the chapter is being reactivated, Stigger said. "Everything from police brutality to housing inequity, food insecurity, healthcare, education - specifically with COVID-19, providing resources to marginalized populations... Voting registration is very important right now, so we feel like this is the perfect time to come together and reignite that flame."

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Aside from Stigger as president of the chapter, the organization will have three vice presidents: Newark councilman Jeremy Blake, Newark High School student Carmen Lewandowski, and Heath High School student Jadyn Paige. Columbus native Lindsay Harris, who organized weekly Black Lives Matter protests in Pataskala and participated in a 12-mile "See Me" silent march from Reynoldsburg to Columbus, will serve as the chapter's treasurer. An academic success coordinator and instructor for the Office of Retention and Student Success Initiatives at OSU-Newark, Karess Gilcrease will serve as the chapter's secretary.

A Newark native and NHS 2008 graduate, Stigger said she is now at Ohio State University, working on her doctorate. She said she's passionate about recruiting people of color into education and wants to give back to her community.

"This is personal for me. Newark is home for me, and I'm really happy to be here and proud to be from Newark," she said, reflecting on the microaggressions and racism she faced growing up. "I want to be able to be a light and be a voice to share experiences and help others embrace differences..."

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Blake said he was involved in the Licking County NAACP chapter many years ago, and he thought it went dormant after the president at that time died.

"With everything happening this year, it seemed like an opportune time to reactivate the chapter to give people an opportunty to make their voices heard," he said. "There's a lot of issues at stake."

A local NAACP chapter, Blake said, will ensure they get people registered to vote, get them engaged and motivated to exercise that right. He also said he hopes to get people to become poll workers.

"That's sort of the monumental tool of non-violence is voting," Blake said. "That's something the NAACP has been working on for the past hundred years. That is important."

Paige, who organized the Students Against Racism Forum in June and currently leads the student-populated organization Generation of Change, said she thought reactivating the local chapter was a good opportunity for the group to put their heads together and make something great for the community.

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"When the tragic murder of George Floyd happened, something hit me inside and I was really emotional and had so many youth reach out to me, saying how emotional this was making them," Jadyn said. "Basically, my whole thing is I want to give the youth - being a youth - an opportunity to feel like they're a part of something also. I know this might sound cliche, but I'm hoping that maybe seeing somebody like myself or like Carmen on this type of project will inspire some of them to go out...and speak and act in the ideals of the NAACP."

Touching on the topic of having minors as two board members, Blake said he thinks giving two of their vice president positions to high school students is empowering. He said he feels it's a way to give young people an opportunity to get involved, to be mentored, to organize in the community and become the community's future leaders and voices.

He also pointed out he is currently the only black man on the chapter's executive team.

"Black women have a voice in our minority community that needs to be elevated and lifted up, so I think that's always important for us to do, especially as we begin," he said.

Stigger said she hopes to create a safe space for people, to educate, raise awareness, and dispel myths. She also wants to showcase positive stories.

When Harris attended OSU in Newark, she said she never felt welcome from the community outside campus and while protesting in Pataskala, she said several cars yelled profanities at them, made obscene gestures, filmed and mocked them.

"It is important that minorities in Licking County feel represented and empowered despite living in a predominately white and conservative county, and I think the Licking County NAACP can help with that," Harris said.

Knowing today's climate, Gilcrease said the local chapter is something Licking County needs. Having worked with students in the area at Denison University and now OSU-Newark, she said knowing students of color at both and some of their struggles they've experienced existing in the community solidifies the importance of having a support network for them.

"I think anything that in any aspect, can bring people together and allow people who are underrepresented or marginalized to be given opportunity, is always needed," Gilcrease said.

Blake said reactivating the chapter is important because racism still exists. He noted many governments have recently declared racism a public health crisis following Floyd's death.

"It most definitely exists here. It's those microaggressions," Blake said. "For us to organize and to be able to have...outreach with different committees. It's important for us to have that presence. We have to have a seat at the table."

Blake said it's not just a matter of race, but also tackling issues like childcare, poverty, especially during the pandemic, and fostering growth and incubating ways for people to start their own businesses.

Stigger said although the chapter isn't officially activated with the national group yet, they already have a plethora of supporters across Licking County. Blake said what will differ their chapter from others in Ohio is Licking County's will be mostly comprised of allies. Allyship, he said, is going to be important to the future of their organization.

As a community kick-off, the Licking County NAACP has organized a free screening of "Good Trouble" by John Lewis at Don Edwards Park on Sept. 6. Gates are set to open at 8:30 p.m. with the screening beginning at 9:30 p.m.

To comply with COVID-19 guidance, those who attend are asked to bring chairs and blankets to sit on, a mask, and practice social distancing. A free NAACP mask will be provided to the first 50 individuals who sign up as NAACP members.

For more information, visit the Licking County NAACP's Facebook page.

If you go

What: Licking County NAACP kickoff event with screening of Good Trouble by John Lewis

When: 8:30 p.m. Sept. 6

Where: Don Edwards Park

Cost: Free