As of midnight on this November 6th, The PACT, the St. Petersburg NAACP, the Upper Pinellas NAACP, and the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement reached agreement to unite in calling on the School Board to slow down on the new student assignment plan long enough to get it right.
Their consensus made history as the first time in more than a decade that some of the parties are working together. Rev. Clarence Williams says "This issue is too critical for us to be divided. It is time for us to unite to put this community back on the path Judge James Sanderlin started more than 40 years ago. All of us must become involved and stay involved in this consensus and partnership." He is an Executive Committee member with the NAACP and Pastor of Greater Mt Zion AME Church.
Chimurenga Waller, President of INPDUM, says "Two years ago, this type of unity would not have been possible. But it is now. The call is too urgent for us to ignore." In unison, the groups are asking the District to take 5 concrete action steps before passing the plan.
Please join the chorus of voices calling for the hold at a joint press conference this Tuesday, Nov. 13th at 10 am just prior to the School Board's official vote on whether to pass the plan (301 SW 4th Street in Largo). The groups will also attend the meeting to ask the Board to reconsider its 5-2 support in favor of passing the plan as-is.
In related news, the consensus came just 1 day before the District Monitoring Advisory Committee voted unanimously to ask the school board to hold on the plan to correct its non-compliance with several district policies.
For more information, call Norman Brown, Pres./Rev. Clarence Williams, Exec. Committee, St. Pete NAACP (727-898- 3310/727-894-1393); Chimurenga Waller, Pres., INPDUM (727-204-3142), Alma Bridges, Pres., Upper Pinellas NAACP (727-443-3719), or Gwen Reese, Co-Chair, The PACT (727-896-2677).
