The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) reactivated its Butler County chapter last June and is outlining its goals of community outreach and increased diversity in seats of leadership.
Both Black and white residents have preconceived notions of what NAACP does, but they are often incomplete or incorrect said interim president Michele Webb.
“People hear NAACP and they think fighting and marching, and we can fight,” Webb said. “But we’re here ... to enhance and grow, and to help make us a better community.”
The organization does this by encouraging diversity, which Webb defined as embracing differences of skin color, background, ability or disability and sexual orientation.
“That’s what diversity is, is being able to hear and understand then, even though I don’t live it, there might be something I can learn from somebody who’s different than me,” she said.
The 2020 US Census found 80.5% of Poplar Bluff’s 16,225 residents were white, 10.9% were Black, and the remaining 8.6% were Native American, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, Pacific Islander or mixed race.
Despite the range of demographics, Webb finds there is currently a lack of representation on boards and in civic leadership, and this gap in no way reflects the talent of that collective 19.5%. However, she does not believe it to be deliberate or malicious.
“Sometimes people want to call it racism. I don’t. I call it unconscious bias, where we’re just picking what we’re comfortable with. Doesn’t make me or you bad, you know — what walks, talks and looks like me, it’s easy to deal with versus what might be a better candidate or might bring more,” she explained.
Thus, she would like to see the creation of an office of diversity in Butler County to help organizations bring in diverse voices and set goals for inclusion, as well as providing accountability. Similar structures have helped corporations recognize and celebrate diversity, she said. The key is commitment to change, and recognizing that change is good.
“I think this community’s ripe to have somebody come in and say, you know what, if it’s part of your goals to have inclusion, then you’ll change. But if it’s not part of anybody’s goals, nobody’s going to change. That’s never going to happen,” she said.
The Butler County NAACP is planning educational workshops open to all residents regardless of race, on topics including money management, stress, health care, mental health and political action such as voter registration. Webb, an MBA and global client manager at American Express, will lead the financial programs. The organization also has many committees for education, prison outreach and more, and is seeking leaders to run them.
“So one of (our goals) is ramping up our membership, positive promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion within this community,” said Webb.
Webb is also in communication with media outlets, discussing how to deliver a more accurate, less negative narrative of the Black community in Poplar Bluff, and the Poplar Bluff Police Department.
For right now, however, Webb said the NAACP is “just looking for this community to really give us a chance to open their ears and their hearts to hear and to work collectively together. Because the way it is, it’s not the best way.”
The chapter is currently planning a spring event to introduce themselves to the community, and hopefully a barbecue at Wheatley school later this year. Details on those events will be available on the NAACP Butler County Branch Facebook page.
General meetings are held the fourth Thursday of every month at 7 p.m., at Mt. Calvary Power House Church. Further information can be found by emailing Webb at naacpbc4101@gmail.com or calling 573-718-8602.