08/23/17 — NAACP to hold forum Sunday

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NAACP to hold forum Sunday

By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on August 23, 2017 5:50 AM

The Goldsboro-Wayne and Johnston County branches of the NAACP will hold a candidates forum at the St. James AME Zion Church on George Street Sunday, as the group prepares to find new leadership after the Rev. William Barber steps down in October.

Sylvia Barnes, president of the Goldsboro-Wayne branch, said candidates for president, vice president, district directors, secretary and treasurer will all attend the forum. The presidential candidates, the Rev. Portia Rochelle and the Rev. T. Anthony Spearman, will take questions from state branch communications specialist Tyler Swanson, who will act as a moderator.

Barnes said she intends for the candidates to have to answer the questions on the spot, having declined to give them a list of questions beforehand.

"Some had asked if I had a list of questions up front for them to study, and I said no," she said. "[Harrison] is going to be asking them questions, and they're going to have to answer them."

Those questions will focus on the candidates' leadership philosophies and their visions for the NAACP, Barnes said. The goal is to come away with a clear idea of where the candidates stand on current and future NAACP operations.

"Based on the issues, bills, moral marches we've been doing, we want to see what the candidates would do going forward. Would they continue along the same path or make changes," she said.

"I'm hoping to see people leave with a better knowledge of how [the candidates] will lead us."

The NAACP state conference election will take place Oct. 7.

Those elected will take office immediately, which will also mark Barber's formal departure.

"There's no taking a day off to get used to it," Barnes said. "They'll begin right there."