Mason: NAACP is 'a voice, a safe haven for the voiceless and a strength to lean on'
Paul Mason Jr. believes reviving the local chapter of the nation's oldest civil rights organization is a sacred calling.
The 30-year-old president of Wichita Falls NAACP-Unit 6237 said the more steps he took to help breathe new life into the once-active chapter, the more things began falling into place.
"If you asked me a year ago, 'What's your purpose in life outside of your work or outside of your family and friends?,' it probably would have been a different story than it is now," Mason said. "I have to give credit to God for aligning me with my purpose."
Mason is a Wichita Falls native who graduated from Rider High School and Angelo State University in San Angelo. He played college and high school football and earned a bachelor's of science degree in kinesiology.
The endeavor to revive the Wichita Falls NAACP branch began in earnest about three months ago.
"Month by month our numbers are growing," said Mason, a real estate and construction professional.
About 36 new members have joined, bringing the group to roughly 60 to 80.
He said the NAACP is an interracial American organization created to abolish segregation and discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, transportation and other areas, as well as to oppose racism and ensure African Americans' constitutional rights.
Wichita Falls group members try to invite someone new and influential to every meeting, Mason said.
"They can come and share their perspective on what they feel like the NAACP means to them, the history of Wichita Falls, the future . . . and just trying to find different ways to better our community, make voices heard that feel like they've been left out," Mason said.
The group meets both in person and online at the same time. Usually the Wichita Falls branch meets at the Charlye O. Farris Social Justice Resource Center at Midwestern State University.
But for the meeting coming up at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the group will gather at the Martin Luther King Center at 1100 Smith St. An informational meeting about Community Development Block Grant programs will follow at 6:30 p.m.
Contact the local NAACP branch at naacp.wf@gmail.com or 940-761-2760 or check the group's Facebook page for more information about the meetings or joining.
Mason said his focus is on serving his unit's executive committee, including Diann Taylor, Alonzo Nelson, Connie Ali, Kerry Woodard, Shana Polk, Penny Rhodes and Cammie Dean.
Some members of the Wichita Falls branch explained what the NAACP means to them in statements provided by Mason:
Woodard, an Army veteran:"NAACP is a historic equal rights group that I am proud to be a part of. The fight for equality is one that still exists. I hope and pray that I can be a difference in this fight. It is my desire to help all who fight for equality and justice. Personally, I know the fight very well, I have been there and done that.”
Nelson, a vice president for the unit: “For me, it’s equity for all people, socially, educationally, as well as justice for all people.”
Ali: The NAACP "creates a safe space, educational needs and advocacy services to assist with healing for people of color, an organization of compassion, fair treatment and not necessarily for African Americans but essentially all people, a voice for the people.”
Polk, unit communications secretary: “NAACP is synonymous with both opportunity and legacy. It's an opportunity to make positive changes for equality. The legacy is the pattern of historical relevance of how NAACP stands after all these years.”
Mason: “What NAACP means to me is hope. It's a voice, a safe haven for the voiceless and a strength to lean on when fatigue sets in. . . . It's a spirit that kicks in when you see two teams going back and forth. It's just a knockout brawl, and that spirit that kicks in just gives the winning team the extra oomph to get over that hump. . . . I like to call it the it factor.”
Rhodes said there were attempts before to revive the local unit, but they didn't work out for a variety of reasons, including the pandemic.
“We found that now is the time and, and one of the reasons why we wanted to restart the chapter now is because there seems to be no answer or response to the things that are taking place in in our civil society," Rhodes, recording secretary for the local chapter, said.
For instance, young people got together and marched in Wichita Falls after George Floyd's May 25, 2020, murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
"But once they marched, where do they go to continue their activities or their activism?” Rhodes said.
"A group like the NAACP is tried and true. Now, a lot of people think that you have to remake the wheel to have a good wheel, but a wheel is the wheel. Its basic structure is not going to change. And the NAACP has been around since 1909," she said.
Rhodes said the local chapter is inviting people of all colors, genders, races and economic levels to be a part of the group, including young people.
“We need young thinkers. We need people . . . to bring in new ideas how to make the wheel go and which direction the wheel should take," she said.
That only comes from community involvement, Rhodes said.
“We are encouraging people to once again get involved in the community," she said. "We want you to do something that is going to make a difference.”
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This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls NAACP chapter reviving
