There are six NAACP Game Changers that address the areas of inequality facing African Americans and are the focus of the Orange County Branch’s work. They are:
- Economic Sustainability: A chance to live the American dream for all. Every person will have equal opportunity to achieve economic success, sustainability and financial security.
- Education: A free, high-quality public education for all. Every child will receive a free, high-quality, equitably funded, public pre-K and K-12 education, followed by diverse opportunities for accessible vocational or university education.
- Health: Health equity for all Americans, including a healthy life and high-quality health care. Everyone will have equal access to affordable, high-quality health care, and racially disparate health outcomes will end.
- Public Safety and Criminal Justice: Equitable dispensation of justice for all. Disproportionate incarceration, racially motivated policing strategies and racially biased discriminatory and mandatory minimum sentencing will end. Incarceration will be greatly reduced and communities will be safer. The death penalty will be abolished at the state and federal levels, as well as in the military.
- Voting Rights and Political Representation: Protect and enhance voting rights and fair representation. Every American will have free, open, equal and protected access to the vote and fair representation at all levels of the political process. By protecting democracy, enhancing equity and increasing democratic participation and civic engagement, African Americans will be proportionally elected to political office.
- Expanding Youth and Young Adult Engagement: The NAACP is expanding the presence of youth consciousness in every aspect of the association through significant attention to key age demographics. Young adult engagement will be key in policy research, development and advocacy on all levels. Greater support is being made to enhance the capacity of local units to recruit, engage, train and retain young adults. Innovative approaches are being taken for young adult membership and program engagement.
Making these game changers a reality will require the board of directors’ leadership, broad outreach in venues such as regional and state conferences, an effective program to educate national, state and local leaders about the plan, and participation of the units.
The program for units will contain clear messages regarding strategies and plans and will provide training so that members can adapt the aims of the plan to the needs of their community and move it to action. Member feedback will be brought into national-level discussion to identify the resources and support needed for members to be successful in their local communities.