NAACP readies for its convention in Charlotte

By Matt Garfield - Matt Garfield

YORK -- The state director of the NAACP visited York on Wednesday to promote his organization's upcoming convention and urge people to vote in November.

Improving public education in South Carolina will be a top focus when NAACP members convene in Charlotte from Oct. 2 to 5, said director Lonnie Randolph.

"There's probably not another area that we devote so much time and effort to," said Randolph, who was joined by local NAACP leaders Steve Love and Melvin Poole at a news conference outside the old courthouse.

The convention will be held in Charlotte because of the NAACP's ongoing economic boycott against South Carolina. Since 1999, the civil rights organization has encouraged family reunions, sporting events and entertainers to stay away from the state to protest the Confederate flag being flown on state House grounds.

Randolph said the NAACP is awaiting word on whether the two major presidential nominees, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, will accept invitations to speak. The candidates are expected to respond by Friday.

"Folks we invite will take the second tier; these are the real Freedom Fighters," Randolph said, pointing to colleagues standing behind him. "These are the individuals that are truly the heart and soul of what this country is all about."